But with one event remaining, Peoria angler Eckhold has a chance at winning the Triple Crown — albeit just the Triple Crown of central Illinois ice fishing.

After hooking second-place bluegill and crappie at Lake Camelot’s party two weekends ago, Eckhold landed a 3.44-pound catfish Saturday that was the second largest fish at Wildlife Prairie Park’s inaugural ice tourney.

Now Eckhold heads into this Saturday’s showdown at the Big 25 Club in Victoria looking to continue his streak.

“I’m not looking to lose, that’s for sure. But we got lucky at Lake Camelot and we got lucky here,” said Eckhold, 28, the only angler to place at both events. “Basically we walked as far away from the crowd as we could, drilled a hole and landed on top of a brushpile.”

Getting away from the crowd was no easy task, since 447 anglers turned out — lured by sunny skies and the chance to wet lines in a seldom-fished strip-mine lake.

Those who showed were not disappointed, as there were plenty of hungry fish under the ice. Eckhold and partner Ryan Bill wound up with 200 bluegill, 10 crappie, 4 bass and 4 catfish. Action was similarly good across the hard water, with many hauling out buckets half full of bluegill and crappie, plus an occasional catfish.

“They were biting as soon as we started fishing,” noted Chef Todd, who like most of the competitors fished the lake west of Taylor Road. Chef fished with Shane Stoddard of Brimfield, who was on the ice for the first time. Stoddard managed a nice 1.59-pound catfish, some bluegill and a few decent crappie (below).

The catfish were a surprise to some, though not to those familiar with the lake’s stocking history. The Department of Natural Resources has dumped channel cats in the lake for years to provide a good population for the youngsters who get to fish that lake.

No doubt there were numerous break-offs attributed to those fish. One that didn’t get away went to Roy Bradford of Bushnell. His 4.29-pounder was worth $750 as biggest fish of the tourney and biggest catfish.

Bradford caught his channel cat about 6 inches off the bottom while jigging a Swedish pimple rig tipped with a waxworm. “My ice-fishing buddy Mark loaned me this one,” Bradford said. “I guess I’ll owe him some money now.”

Here’s the rest of the top catfish finishers: 1. Bradford 4.27; 2. Nate Eckhold, Peoria 3.44; 3. Jenna Wieda, Goodfield 3.03; 4. Joe Grzanich 3.02; 5. Jeff Mullins 3.

There were also plenty of fish of more than 2.5 pounds, including the 2.69-pounder modeled by Kristin Shepherd of East Peoria (below) and caught by Chris Woolley.

Beyond that were several other impressive fish, including a pair of largemouth bass that topped the 18-inch minimum. Best was Richard Archdale’s 2.91-pounder, followed by Josh King’s 2.85-pounder (pictured below), which hit on a bright pink two-spot jig and a waxworm. “I had a few different people measure it to make sure it was long enough,” King said.

Because of the large crowd, event organizer Scott Carlson expanded the cash payout to the top three finishers for each species and the two largest fish.

Crappie and bluegill were also plentiful but smaller beyond the 1.99-pound slab crappie caught by David Berry of Brimfield. The best bluegill were a pair of
.46-pounders caught by Darron Birkel of Peoria and 14-year-old Justin Graham of Peoria.

Graham was ice fishing for the first time thanks to neighbor Orville Maxwell, who said he is the boy’s “adopted grandpa.”

“It was pretty fun,” said Graham, pictured below with Maxwell.

The fun continues Saturday at the private Big 25 Club, located 4 miles south of Victoria in strip-mine country. Organizer Tom Reynolds said he is preparing for a crowd of about 200 anglers.

Entry fee is $20 per two-man team, gates open at 7 a.m. and fishing is 8 a.m. to noon. Cash prizes will be paid to the top five finishers based on total weight of all bluegill and crappie. Minnows are not allowed.

“Our goal is not to sell memberships or to impress the public. We want to harvest fish,” Reynolds said. “If someone gets into them, we want them to keep going.

“We’ve got a nice population of 9- to 12-inch crappie in one lake and bluegill up to a pound.”

Given the hilly roads leading to the club and expectations of snow, Reynolds advises participants to arrive in four-wheel drive vehicles.

Snow or no snow, Eckhold and partner Bill will be there.

“We’ve got a special bait we call the Camy special,” Eckhold said. “It works on everything.”

The plan falls short of closing the navigational structures entirely, as demanded by Michigan and five other Great Lakes states. They fear the locks will provide an opening to the lakes for the giant carp, which some scientists say could devastate the region’s $7 billion fishing industry.

But the Obama administration described the plan as part of an effective strategy for keeping the invaders at bay while long-term biological controls are developed.

The government said it would spend $78.5 million and take 25 actions to slow the advance of the carp, which can reach 4 feet long and 100 pounds.

Invasive species have hammered the Great Lakes for decades and the Asian carp threatens to be particularly damaging, Nancy Sutley , head of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, said after talks with several governors from the region. “Today, we have an opportunity to work together to prevent environmental and economic damage before it happens,” she said.

Bighead and silver carp, Asian species imported to cleanse fish farms and sewage plants in the Deep South, have been migrating up the Mississippi and Illinois rivers for decades. They have infested rivers and canals near Chicago, and their DNA has been detected in Lake Michigan itself.

The Supreme Court last month refused Michigan’s request to order the locks and gates closed, a move opposed by the Obama administration and Illinois. They argue that closing the locks would cause millions in losses for barge operators and could lead to flooding.

Michigan last week asked the high court to reconsider and is pushing ahead with a separate lawsuit that calls for permanently severing the century-old, man-made linkage between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins. Joining Michigan in the dispute are Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

The Obama administration’s strategy, announced Monday, calls for modifying operations of the navigational structures by April 30. It says four scenarios are being considered, including opening two primary locks for just three or four days a week, or closing the locks one week per month or every other week. Another option is continuing to operate them normally.

Officials said a $10.5 million contract will be awarded to build a third electric barrier in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, a crucial link with Lake Michigan. The two existing barriers emit pulses designed to repel the carp and give them a non-lethal jolt if they don’t turn away.

Also pledged was $13.2 million for construction of barriers to prevent the carp from bypassing the electric devices by slipping into the canal from the adjacent Des Plaines River during flooding.

An additional $9.5 million will be spent to promote commercial fishing of carp, research chemical treatments to kill off the carp if the electric barriers fail, and study other control techniques such as preventing carp from spawning or developing poisons that would kill the carp but not other fish.

Agencies also will speed up their analysis of DNA samples and continue exploring the waterways in hopes of determining whether Asian carp have actually gotten past the electric barriers - and if so, how many.

The carp battle involves the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which operates the navigational structures; the Environmental Protection Agency; the Fish and Wildlife Service; and the Coast Guard. State and local agencies also are taking part.

Prairie State Outdoors.com has learned that the massive 37-point Kendall County buck shot by Chris Kiernan of Morris (pictured above) in the first week of November apparently netted 268 1/8 inches. That would better Dave Jones’ current non-typical bowkill of 267 1/8 inches for a 36-point Mason County buck shot on Nov. 5 of 2003.

The record won’t be official until after the buck is measured by a panel of Boone and Crockett Club measurers.

Kiernan’s buck was measured recently after the mandatory 60-day drying period had ended. Kiernan shot his buck on Nov. 1 and according to a post on Prairie State Outdoors.com the net score was 268 1/8.

The buck had 20 scorable points on the right side and 17 scorable points on the left.

Kiernan was said to have been hunting the buck for two years.

Word is that Kiernan will be bringing the record buck to the Illinois Deer & Turkey Classic (Feb. 26-28) in Bloomington, though that has not yet been confirmed.

More details on Kiernan’s hunt will no doubt come out during the Classic.

Until then what we are sure of is that his buck is impressive.

The same is true for Jones’ 36-pointer (pictured below). And there are similarities between the two stories.

Both bucks were killed in the same week, Kiernan’s on Nov. 1 and Jones’ on Nov. 5.

Jones also had repeat encounters with the buck. The fall before he killed the deer, Jones had a 25-yard shot at the buck and couldn’t bring him down. “I lived with that for a year. I didn’t know if I’d see him again.” He did.

And like Kiernan, who has remained fairly quiet about his deer, Jones offered few details of his hunt until the story was played out in various magazines. That’s not uncommon for deer this large.

With the added outfitting, the elevated interest in larger racks and the Midwestern states being the focal point of monster deer, I believe man has caused beast to make permanent changes in their behavior. Add the fact that some states are aggressively trying to reduce the deer herds, for whatever reasons, this ongoing pressure of deer has an everlasting effect. Constant pressure from man, from any angle, will ultimately create different life styles and habits for the whitetail deer.

Animals, of any type, can and will adjust to humans. That’s a fact. Petting zoos, public “no hunting” areas and heavily industrialized areas are all prime examples (through both ends of the spectrum) of how wild animals react to civilized inhabitants. When forced, man and beast will share the same environment whether we like it or not. With man constantly exposed and wild beast ever being the elusive, what changes do animals have to go through to constantly safeguard their well being?

The answer to that is “Many.” Invasion of privacy and how to remain incognito is an ongoing dilemma our wildlife must deal with on a daily basis. For anyone, especially today’s hunters, not to recognize this fact, will only push a non-successful hunter deeper into confusion. For anyone who doesn’t appreciate what these animals must endure on a daily basis will only be that much farther away from constant success.

The definition of the word “Hunt” means: To pursue (game) for food or sport, to search through (an area) for prey. Some questions you have to ask yourself when hunting are: Are you searching or pursuing when you hunt or are you sitting and waiting? Sitting and waiting may be just fine if you’re hunting in the right areas but getting in that “right” area will most likely always change, especially if your target animal is under constant pressure.

Delivering a cognitive approach is a mandatory prerequisite if your quest for an elusive whitetail is your objective. Today’s Midwestern whitetails are habitually changing their living patterns for the reason of survival. Deer that are in survival mode are always on guard and are aware of EVERYTHING around them. Keeping safe, being elusive and proper timing when satisfying their survival needs is all planned perfectly, by nature! Not recognizing what a whitetail deer has to endure on a daily basis will only keep you father away from ever being a successful whitetail hunter. 

Today’s hunter unfortunately isn’t getting this pertinent information regarding whitetail behavior from very many sources. Tune into the hunting channels on TV and you’ll be hard pressed to find anything educational with respect to hunting whitetails. Our youth, or anyone who is just beginning to hunt deer, will watch these “Fast food entertainment segments” and believe this type of hunting as gospel. With this mindset, people are chucking thousands of dollars to hunt for a week with an outfitter expecting to bring home a huge-racked whitetail in 5 or so days.

Hunting celebrities are pushing trash to beginners that in return think these “fabulous” products are going to give them the edge over the next guy. Is this really what we want to teach to the next generation? Granted, some products are really fantastic and some hunters are really great at what they do but how does one decipher which is good and which isn’t? I think it’s time to bring more attention to whitetail behavior and real world education to hunters new and old.

So what’s a good blueprint for success? Start at the beginning and take nothing for granted! For those of you, who hunt the same properties and the same stands every year, start from scratch. Chances are your deer have YOU patterned. Years of hunting by rote (by doing the same thing over and over) will only make your face a common entity in the whitetail’s living room. They know you and they know when to avoid you. The element of surprise is about as secret as a Tiger Woods’ life.

Pick a small spot and hunt it. Rotate into another spot after a couple of days and make notes. Move around in your property over and over, never allowing the deer to pattern you. Never let them know where you’re going to be next. Take the time in the off season and learn what the deer in your area are feeding on. Notice times of landmark actions like feeding and bedding in relation to weather changes. Replace your mind with a big buck’s mind, even if you’re hunting for a mature doe and you will find a completely different world that you never knew existed.

Watch for seasonal changes with pressure from farmers, children in the area, etc. and notice how deer to react regarding these changes. EVERYTHING COUNTS. This is real hunting and this is your path to being an accomplished hunter. These are the ideas that need to be taught on our television shows. Failures need to be exposed also. Hunting IS all about failing through trying. We all need to accept that. But failing through laziness is not hunting.

If you don’t enjoy taking the added steps investigating what the deer are doing in your hunting property, your sport will be monotonous. Hunting to me is a game of chess. If I fail, (and I have many, many times) I still enjoy the hunt because I’m hunting and not merrily showing up to the same place at the same time. If taking your chances at the outfitter for a week is your bag, then more power to you. If playing chess with an animal that has you pegged is more your style, then get out and learn what makes these whitetails tick.

Understand what they endure everyday.

Feel what they feel when the weather changes.

See what they see when it’s time to hide.

Smell what they smell when they know you’re in the timber.

Become a whitetail and you’ll then be able to beat them at their game.

When environmental pressures cause a change in whitetail behavior, it’s time to figure out a new strategy. Why not put the “hunt” back in “hunting”!

Nancy Sutley, head of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, is scheduled to host Govs. Jennifer Granholm of Michigan, Pat Quinn of Illinois and Jim Doyle of Wisconsin.

The large, voracious carp have infested Chicago-area waterways, and their DNA was discovered in Lake Michigan last month. Scientists say they could disrupt the Great Lakes food chain and devastate the $7 billion fishing industry.

Michigan wants to close shipping locks and gates between the waterways and the lake. But the Obama administration agrees with Illinois that doing so would hurt the Chicago economy and there are better ways to stop the carp.

Construction of the 5.5-mile along Springfield’s west side trail is scheduled to begin this summer and be completed in the spring or summer of 2011.

The $3.6 million project, outlined Wednesday, is one of more than two dozen corridors listed in a now-13-year-old “green spaces” plan. Planners hope the trails eventually connect Springfield, Chatham, Rochester, Auburn and Riverton, as well as rural areas of the county.

“What we’re doing is making progress in pieces,” Leslie Sgro, president of the Springfield Park Board, said after a trail announcement news conference at Centennial Park.

The Sangamon Valley Trail will follow an old railroad bed between Centennial Park on the south and Stuart Park on the north.

“It’s about a yearlong project beginning in early to mid-part of the construction season, and probably carrying over into 2011,” said Sangamon County highway engineer Tim Zahrn.

Most of the cost is being paid through federal economic stimulus money.

Green spaces

The 1997 green spaces report listed 26 possibilities for paths in the county.

Sgro said only relatively short sections remain in Springfield to connect the Lost Bridge, Interurban and Wabash trails.

“There are more pieces to the puzzle that could be pursued, that should be pursued,” said Sgro.

The city of Springfield plans to extend Stanford Avenue east through the Bunn Park area, which would create a road and bikeway thoroughfare to Dirksen Parkway and the Lost Bridge Trail.

The Interurban Trail between Springfield and Chatham intersects with the Wabash Trail at MacArthur Boulevard.

“This has been a long time coming,” said Lynn Miller of the League of Illinois Bicyclists, who was among those attending the trail announcement.

The next priority should be extending the trail north across the Sangamon River toward Menard County, he said.

“Now, you have to take a major highway to cross the river,” he said.

Tourism promotion

A couple of speakers at the Wednesday event, including county board member Sam Montalbano, responded to criticism that the project is an inappropriate use of stimulus money when the economy is hurting.

The funds were earmarked in the federal stimulus bills for transportation “enhancements” other than roads and bridges.

“The main things is we’re putting a breath of life into our community,” Montalbano said. “We see tourists coming in with bike racks on their car. They’re looking for places like this.”

The stimulus money jump-started a project that has been in the works for at least a decade, but county administrator Brian McFadden said the stimulus money appears to be a one-time shot.

“We’re talking to folks at DNR (Department of Natural Resources) for additional funding. We always have our eye on that,” he said.

They acknowledge that it’s a tricky endeavor: the hungry predators breed prolifically, roam hundreds of square miles and have a taste for cows and sheep.

But the researchers have got a solution for that, too: Neuter the wolves, fence them in, fit them with shock collars and - just in case - add a tracking device so they can be hunted and killed if they get too far afield.

“If there’s lots of food, they’re happy,” said Dan Licht, National Park Service biologist for the Northern Plains region. “An intensively managed dozen, ten (wolves) - we think that is doable with today’s technology,”

Licht led a team of five researchers who authored a paper in the February issue of the journal BioScience proposing to put wolves back atop the food chain at sites across the country. The predators would become park “stewards,” responsible for keeping game numbers down in areas as small as 15 square miles.

A single pack can go through an elk every three to four days. But when they wander, it’s often not long before wolves start getting into livestock.

From New York’s Adirondack Mountains to California’s Sierra Nevada, the extermination of wolves last century allowed big game herds to balloon - tipping nature’s scales and caused overgrazing in many parks and protected areas.

For years after wolves were gone, excess elk from parks including North Dakota’s Theodore Roosevelt National Park were captured and shipped out, to establish new herds in Kentucky, South Dakota and Pennsylvania.

Those shipments have since been restricted because of worries about spreading animal sicknesses like chronic wasting disease. In their absence, Theodore Roos evelt park officials will use volunteer shooters to help trim its 900 elk herd by more than half over the next several years.

In Rocky Mountain National Park - where elk have wiped out aspen and willow groves, prime habitat for beavers and birds - officials last year enlisted paid and volunteer shooters to kill 33 elk. The Park Service rejected proposals to use wolves for the job.

Gray wolves were wiped out by the 1930s except in Alaska, Canada and the Western Great Lakes. They went on the endangered species list in 1975 and were reintroduced to parts of Yellowstone National Park and Idaho in the mid-1990s.

They multiplied exponentially, and now number an estimated 1,650 animals in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. In Yellowstone, scientists have tracked an ecosystem rebound since the predator-prey balance was restored.

But the $30 million Northern Rockies wolf restoration program also has stirred rancor. Many ranchers, embittered by frequent wolf attacks o n their livestock, say the government let wolf numbers get out of control.

Hunters, too, have complained about declining numbers of big game. Federal biologists say that is just part of a return to more natural conditions.

But gaining public acceptance for similar, if smaller-scale, programs at multiple sites across the country would bring enormous political complications.

“Wolves fix very few problems compared to the ones they create,” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Ed Bangs, who leads the Northern Rockies wolf restoration program.

That program has withstood criticism in part by taking a hard line against wolves attacking livestock. Since 1995, more than 1,200 wolves have been shot in the region by government wildlife agents or ranchers in defending their property.

Their high numbers have allowed wolves to thrive despite the government killings. With a single wolf pack, there would be far less flexibility.

“When you have gr eat densities of people, lots of agriculture, you’re not going to keep wolves alive,” Bangs said. “If you’re talking even 100 square miles, or 200 square miles, you’re talking about a territory that’s too small for even one wolf pack.”

In Utah, where Idaho wolves haves shown up on occasion in recent years, one state lawmaker has said he wants them removed by the federal government.

In Oregon, another state now home to dispersing Idaho wolves, state officials have shown more tolerance and are ready to let up to eight packs get established.

However, other than the Rocky Mountain National Park proposal, Licht said he knew of none under consideration to cart in wolves and task them with ecological restoration. Give the idea a few years to germinate, he said.

“It is indeed consistent with Park Service policy, which to restore native species and natural processes,” he said. “Right now we’re starting the dialogue.”

“Yeah, I did shoot some of his decoys,” Weeks said, recalling duck hunts with his father. “He’d always tell me if there’s a (crippled duck) in there, wait until it gets in the clear. But I’d still shoot those decoys.”

Weeks shakes his head. If only there had been an accurate fortune teller in the 1940s, those old wooden decoys would have been treated so much better. Who could know then that the lumps of pine would become iconic pieces of folk art worth thousands of dollars?

Certainly not Weeks, whose father Bob (pictured above in the basement of his Bureau home with a pintail decoy) carved and painted more than 1,000 decoys in a career that spanned two phases. After returning to Bureau in 1924 following World War I, Bob started a life-long hobby by making 24 blocks for a hunting rig (the first of which is pictured below). From then until the 1950s he carved blocks for himself and for other hunters, hollowing out two pieces of clear white pine, gluing them together and then painstakingly painting them.

He also repaired and repainted decoys for the many gun clubs in the duck-crazed Hennepin area. “Our basement from the end of the season to the end of summer was full of decoys,” said Ken, the former Havana superintendent of schools who is retired and lives outside Brimfield. “He’d charge 35 cents to repair a decoy or to put on a new head.”

Occasionally, Bob would also replace a damaged decoy with one of his own blocks. This pleased gun club owners and allowed Bob to collect decoys from a Who’s Who of Illinois River carvers including Robert Elliston, Bert Graves and Charles Perdew.

In fact, a set of 12 Perdew green-winged teal decoys that Bob hunted over for years are still known to collectors as “the Weeks teal” according to decoy expert Donna Tonelli.

After taking a break in the 1950s when plastic decoys became all the rage, Bob carved again until his death in 1978, focusing mostly on miniatures sold at the Ranch House in Bureau.

“But he would never admit he was making a decorative decoy. He always said he was making a hunting decoy. An Illinois River Valley hunting decoy,” said Ken, who also carves and makes pens and duck calls in his spare time. “His goal was to carve five birds per week. But when he died, he was two years behind in orders.”

Some Weeks decoys will no doubt be displayed next Sunday during the 42nd annual Henry Decoy Show. Bob also has dekes at the Illinois State Museum in Springfield and at Lakeview Museum in Peoria.

Though not as well known as Perdew, Graves or Elliston, Bob has a growing reputation as one of the last of the traditional Illinois River carvers. He learned from Henry Holmes of Bureau and was noted for skillful painting, which involved using graining combs to create a feather pattern.

Bob was also known as a skilled duck hunter and praised for the sounds he could make with a Perdew duck call. He did most of his hunting at Bridge Lake or at the Princeton Fish and Game Club. In honor of his father – who is buried overlooking the Illinois River with a sleeping mallard carved on the headstone – Ken assembled a bound collection of pictures, stories and articles about the man he called, “the best father anyone could have.”

One story was of the 1946 season opener, for which Ken was excused from school – provided he could give the principal four dressed ducks. That didn’t take long. Shooting time started at noon and when Bob arrived at 12:10, his youngest son was waiting idly in the blind.

“He asked why I wasn’t shooting and I told him I already had a limit of seven ducks,” said Ken, who is pictured below holding decoys carved by his father at right and by Perdew at left. “As he counted them on the lake, a great smile came across his face.”

Like father like son.     

When the weather turns cold, animals — like people — can either adopt a strategy to deal with the change or flee to warmer temperatures elsewhere. Some, like groundhogs, simply choose not to deal with winter and sleep through the whole thing.

Limited resources and teamwork

Birds leverage every advantage they have to keep from freezing. They pump blood with faster heart rates and use their feathers to trap warm air against their skin.

“They’ve got a high body temperature, and they have to keep eating all the time in order to keep that temperature up,” says H. David Bohlen, assistant curator of zoology at the Illinois State Museum. “And they keep out of the wind, hiding out in tree cavities.”

Famed conservationist Aldo Leopold wrote that chickadees live by just a few rules: Stay out of the wind and never get wet before a blizzard.

Bohlen says some of the tiniest birds roost together and pool their small rations of body heat.

“When they roost, they roost so close together they are acting as one bird,” he says. “Together, they have more body heat to keep from freezing to death.”

Bluebirds have been known to pack into nest boxes, using the same principle.

Anyone who has ever constructed a snow cave can attest to snow’s insulating properties.

“I had some redpolls one time that were roosting in some small spruce trees,” Bohlen says. “And they were full of snow. The redpolls actually would get inside the snow.”

Snowbirds

Migration is the movement of whole populations in search of food, not simply to escape the cold. If the snow covers the food supply of Canada geese, for example, the geese will move.

Consequently, mild winters mean geese migrate shorter distances — if at all.

The breeding range of dark-eyed juncos — those slate-gray and white birds under feeders right now — encompasses the northern U.S., including Alaska and Canada. They winter throughout the U.S. and northern Mexico.

Birds that rely on insects and nectar from flowers (like hummingbirds) have no choice but to move to southern climates, where their preferred food remains available.

Winter’s positives and negatives

Normally, we think of cold weather as being a stress on wildlife, and that’s true. It can be a challenge to find enough food. Even the hardiest critter can succumb when snow piles up, making it difficult to find food.

But sometimes it works in reverse.

In the Rocky Mountain West, a native beetle is wreaking havoc on trees because winter hasn’t been severe enough to keep its numbers in check.

The mountain bark beetle has been killing pine trees, leaving mountainsides rusty brown, instead of green, in color. Municipalities are cutting dead trees as fast as possible because of the threat of fire. Real estate agents wonder how much property values will decline when homes with mountain views look out over dead and dying trees.

Reading the signs

Aside from large, conspicuous birds, such as bald eagles, it’s not always so easy to observe how wild animals are doing.

To figure out how animals are making a living in the wild, we have to look for the signs left for us.

The pileated woodpecker seems to be doing just fine.

The pileated is a dramatic black, white and red bird the size of a crow. Its powerful bill tears into dead wood and strips bark from decaying trees.

A dead cedar tree in Starved Rock State Park in northern Illinois has fresh, oval-shaped holes drilled in it that are cut so neatly a carpenter would be proud of the work.

Cedar chips, fine as mulch, cover the ground near the trunk. Inside, the woodpeckers must have found a storehouse of insect eggs, pupae or other treats.

A bit farther down the trail, someone emptied a cache of acorns and feasted. There is nothing left but husks and shells. Sometimes it’s hard to tell who has been at work. Other times, it’s easier.

Raccoons travel at night but leave footprints, especially in the snow. Tracks provide a clue to their nocturnal ramblings. One print inside that of a hiker’s boot is symbolic that we don’t exactly own the trails we use.

Energy conservation

People like to argue about the merits of energy conservation. But for wildlife, conservation is a matter of survival.

During the colder months, wild animals are burning through energy like crazy just to stay warm, and every bit used must be replaced.

That’s one reason wildlife experts ask bald eagle watchers not to flush eagles from perches if possible. Every time an eagle takes to the air, it’s burning precious energy.

Animals that hibernate try to store up enough energy to get them through the winter months. But that’s no easy task, even when critters like groundhogs slow their bodily functions and drop their temperatures to just above freezing.

Hibernation continues to mystify scientists. For one, animals that truly hibernate don’t stay at extremely low temperatures. Every so often they spike up to normal temperature for a few days and then step back down again.

Joseph Merritt, senior mammalogist with the Illinois Natural History Survey, says it is thought that the immune system can’t function properly unless it is at normal temperature.

“It’s kind of crazy,” Merritt says.

Ground squirrels, including groundhogs, are among the few true hibernators. Other mammals, such as the Eastern chipmunk and fox and gray squirrels, have periods of torpor during which they drop their body temperature into the 60s. But when the weather warms, they become active.

Mice experience stretches of torpor, just like chipmunks.

“They drop down, but then on nice days when the temperatures are up, you will see tracks on the snow,” Merritt says.

“Shrews, on the other hand, don’t have a clue,” he says. “They don’t drop their body temperature.”

Instead, they forage for food nearly around the clock, mostly searching for insects below ground.

“There is plenty of insect food below ground,” Merritt says. Shrews hunt via underground runways.

Voles are busy, too.

“They are herbivores — it is tough for them, but they are active,” he says.

Franklin’s ground squirrels, by contrast, are “hard-core” hibernators. They head for hibernation right after the breeding season, staying inactive from late August or early September through mid-April.

“This is pretty tough on them,” he says.

Groundhog Day

When Punxsutawney Phil was extracted from his pet carrier on Feb. 2 to make his annual prediction about the weather, he was awakened much earlier than his wild brothers and sisters.

No self-respecting groundhog with any hope of survival would be rousing from hibernation in early February. For one, groundhogs need to eat right away to replace fat lost during hibernation. With no green plants available, Phil would be in real trouble.

“That’s a bunch of nonsense on Feb. 2,” Merritt says. “Groundhog Day is to hibernation what the tooth fairy is to dentistry.”

Granted, bright red trimmed in black makes for nice-looking uniforms, but there a lot of birds more fierce looking than a redbird. Some schools even give their cardinal mascots teeth, steely red eyes and a scowl that would put fear into a bobcat.

Rather than “badding up” a cardinal, it might have been easier to find a more assertive name in the beginning. The characteristics that fans expect from their school mascot, such as fiercely defending themselves and being aggressive in their own territory, I thought were lacking in the cardinal — until I started watching them at the bird feeder.

Cardinals are pretty bad. They not only chase other cardinals away from the feeder, they puff themselves up and go after birds under the feeder that are trying to make a living picking up the food on the ground. Even without teeth and bloodshot eyes, cardinals are tough, tenacious and often fearless.

When snow is on the ground and pickings are slim elsewhere, there’s a pretty good show going on at the bird feeder.

It’s easy to see why few if any teams call themselves the sparrows, chickadees or goldfinches. Those pint-sized birds stay out of the way until the big boys have finished tanking up.
The grackles come in four or five at a time and take over. Even the fiercest cardinal won’t mess with them. Grackles are loud, feisty and mean. Grackles have many of the characteristics of a fine fighting mascot, but they are downright ugly. Their brown and black plumage would make for some pretty dull cheerleader outfits.

The woodpeckers that show up to hammer at the suet cakes don’t take any guff from anybody. Even the downy woodpecker, which is no bigger than a defensive lineman’s thumb, only gives up ground to a bigger woodpecker. I’ve seen those little guys dive-bomb the cardinals and peck them on the head.

The hairy woodpecker is about twice the size of the downy woodpecker and with pretty much the same markings. It can hammer a little harder and will take on a group of grackles.

My favorite is the big guy: the red-bellied woodpecker. He has a beak like a leather punch, and nobody messes with him. If I were starting a high school team and looking for a feathered mascot that could whip its weight in blue jays, cardinals or even grackles, I’d pick the red-bellied woodpecker.

Maybe that’s not such a good idea. Even with its sharp beak and its willingness to take on all comers, “Let’s go, Red-Bellies!” doesn’t have much of a ring to it.

Steele (right) is one of 22 photographers whose work was chosen to be displayed in the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission’s Illinois Natural Treasures Exhibit.

The image chosen by the Illinois Nature Preserve Commission (pictured above) is “An Ancient’s Tale” and shows one of the many rock art scenes found at Piney Creek Nature Preserve in Randolph County.

The Illinois Nature Preserves Commission celebrated the addition of its 500th protected natural area in 2009. To recognize this accomplishment, the 2009 Outdoor Illinois magazine photo contest selected Illinois Nature Preserves and Land & Water Reserves as a theme.

The exhibit features 22 entries that showcase the beauty of Illinois protected natural areas. The opening reception for this exhibit will be Feb. 25 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Environmental Law and Policy Center in Chicago. The exhibit will run from Feb. 25 through June 2010 with viewing by appointment, Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

In addition to the primary exhibit, designed by the renowned Illinois State Museum at the Environmental Law and Policy Center, the exhibit of our State’s finest natural lands will serve as the INPC’s contribution to the Burnham Plan Centennial in Chicago. The INPC honors Cook County as the second largest landowner of INPC sites, surpassed only by the IDNR.

Additionally, The Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Natural Heritage will sponsor the photographic exhibit at their tent in Conservation World for the 2010 Illinois State Fair in Springfield, Illinois.

The Illinois State Museum will also design and create a professional presentation from the exhibit photographs which will be distributed to Illinois landowners,  partners, biologists, Illinois State Park Visitors Centers, interested educators and naturalists, and even other states interested in natural areas programs, to emphasize Illinois’ commitment to the protection of its most precious lands.

“The problem we’re having is they’re releasing too much water through the dam to create conditions conducive for those guys to go down there and net,” said Rob Maher, commercial fishing project manager for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. “There’s interest from the fishermen and there’s certainly interest from the DNR.

“I think everybody is supportive of it, but we just don’t have the right river conditions that will allow those guys to get in there and take fish out.

Click here to read more.

A total of 226 teams are entered this year. Sectionals are April 23 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The finals will again be held at Carlyle Lake on May 7-8. Click here to see more information. Better yet, click here to see the Web site.

Argyle Lake Sectional (12)

Aledo (Mercer County)
Alexis (United)
Astoria
Camp Point (Central)
Carthage (Illini West)
Cuba
Galva
Knoxville
Moline (H.S.)
Port Byron (Riverdale)
Sciota (West Prairie)
Warsaw

Banner Marsh Sectional (13)

Bartonville (Limestone)
Canton
Chillicothe (Illinois Valley Central)
Dunlap
East Peoria
Elmwood
Farmington
Glasford (Illini Bluffs)
Pekin
Peoria (P. Christian)
Peoria (Richwoods)
Peoria (Woodruff)
Tremont

Busse Woods Reservoir Sectional (10)

Arlington Heights (St. Viator)
Carol Stream (Glenbard North)
Des Plaines (Maine West)
Elmhurst (Immaculate Conception)
Elmhurst (York)
Maywood (Proviso East)
Mt. Prospect (Prospect)
Roselle (Lake Park)
Wheaton (St. Francis)
Wheaton (W. Warrenville South)

Chain O’Lakes #1 Sectional (13)

Arlington Heights (Hersey)
Barrington
Buffalo Grove
Crystal Lake (Prairie Ridge)
Crystal Lake (South)
Deerfield
Elgin (St. Edward)
Lincolnshire (Stevenson)
McHenry
Streamwood
Vernon Hills
Wauconda
Wheeling

Chain O’Lakes #2 Sectional (13)

Antioch
Fox Lake (Grant)
Grayslake (North)
Gurnee (Warren)
Hebron (Alden-H.)
Johnsburg
Lake Villa (Lakes)
Libertyville
Richmond (R.-Burton)
Waukegan (H.S.)
Woodstock (H.S.)
Woodstock (Marian)
Zion (Z.-Benton)

Clinton Lake Sectional (12)

Argenta (A.-Oreana)
Bismarck (B.-Henning)
Champaign (Centennial)
Champaign (St. Thomas More)
Clinton
DeLand (D.-Weldon)
Fisher
Gibson City (G.C.-Melvin-Sibley)
Maroa (M.-Forsyth)
Monticello
St. Joseph (S.J.-Ogden)
Tolono (Unity)

Coffeen Lake Sectional (13)

Alton (Marquette)
Breese (Mater Dei)
Bunker Hill
Dupo
Edwardsville (H.S.)
Edwardsville (Metro-East Lutheran)
Highland
Lebanon
Mt. Olive
Okawville
Pinckneyville
Waterloo (Gibault Catholic)
Waterloo (H.S.)

Evergreen Lake Sectional (13)

El Paso (E.P.-Gridley)
Eureka
Mackinaw (Deer Creek-M.)
Metamora
Minonk (Fieldcrest)
Morton
Normal (Community West)
Normal (Community)
Pontiac
Roanoke (R.-Benson)
Varna (Midland)
Washburn (Lowpoint-W.)
Washington

Forbes Lake Sectional (13)

Carlyle
Coulterville
Effingham (St. Anthony)
Fairfield
Farina (South Central)
Flora
Louisville (North Clay)
Newton
Salem
Teutopolis
Waltonville
Wayne City
Woodlawn

Heidecke Lake Sectional (12)

Joliet (Twp.)
Minooka
Morris
Naperville (Central)
Naperville (North)
New Lenox (Providence Catholic)
Oswego (East)
Oswego (H.S.)
Plainfield (Central)
Plainfield (South)
Romeoville (H.S.)
Serena

Lake Egypt Sectional (13)

Anna (A.-Jonesboro)
Benton
Carrier Mills (C.M.-Stonefort)
Elkville (Elverado)
Goreville
Herrin (H.S.)
Johnston City
Marion (Crab Orchard)
Marion (H.S.)
Murphysboro
Tamms (Egyptian)
West Frankfort (Frankfort)
Wolf Lake (Shawnee)

Lake Shelbyville Sectional (13)

Atwood (A.-Hammond)
Bement
Bethany (Okaw Valley)
Cerro Gordo
Decatur (Eisenhower)
Georgetown (G.-Ridge Farm)
Macon (Meridian)
Mt. Zion
Paris
Robinson
Shelbyville
Sidell (Jamaica)
Sullivan

LaSalle Lake Sectional (12)

Bradley (B.-Bourbonnais)
Braidwood (Reed-Custer)
Coal City
Earlville
Kankakee (McNamara)
Manlius (Bureau Valley)
Rock Falls
Seneca
Sterling (H.S.)
Sterling (Newman Central Catholic)
Streator (Twp.)
Streator (Woodland)

Pierce Lake Sectional (12)

Byron
DeKalb
Genoa (G.-Kingston)
Huntley
Marengo
Oregon
Poplar Grove (North Boone)
Rochelle
Rockford (Boylan)
Rockton (Hononegah)
South Beloit
Sycamore (H.S.)

Sangchris Lake Sectional (12)

Ashland (A-C Central)
Athens
Beardstown
Buffalo (Tri-City)
Edinburg
Mason City (Illini Central)
Riverton
Rushville (R.-Industry)
Springfield (H.S.)
Springfield (Lutheran)
Virden
White Hall (North Greene)

Shabbona Lake Sectional (11)

Aurora (A. Christian)
Aurora (Illinois Math and Science Academy)
Aurora (Marmion Academy)
Bartlett
Batavia
Geneva
Sandwich
Shabbona (Indian Creek)
St. Charles (East)
St. Charles (North)
West Chicago (Wheaton Academy)

Skokie Lagoons Sectional (10)

Chicago (Holy Trinity)
Chicago (St. Gregory)
Chicago (St. Ignatius College Prep)
Chicago (St. Patrick)
Chicago (Taft)
Oak Park (Fenwick)
Skokie (Niles North)
Wilmette (Loyola Academy)
Wilmette (Regina Dominican)
Winnetka (New Trier)

Tampier Lake Sectional (10)

Burbank (Reavis)
Darien (Hinsdale South)
Downers Grove (North)
Hinsdale (Central)
LaGrange (Lyons)
Lemont (H.S.)
Lisle (Benet Academy)
Palos Hills (Stagg)
Summit (Argo)
Westmont

Wolf Lake Sectional (12)

Chicago (Brother Rice)
Chicago (De La Salle)
Chicago (Harlan)
Chicago (Marist)
Chicago (Mt. Carmel)
Chicago (Simeon)
Chicago (St. Rita)
Chicago Heights (Bloom Twp.)
Grant Park
Oak Lawn (Community)
Orland Park (Sandburg)
Tinley Park (Andrew)

I laughed at his statement and informed him that none of them were for me, and that they were thank-you gifts. This got his attention and also apparently got his curiosity going as well.

“What could anyone do to deserve a cart load of meat?” he asked.

I told my new friend that the cart was not for one person, but rather it was for several people who had allowed me to hunt on their property.

More years ago than I would care to count, a good friend of mine told me how he delivered hams and turkeys to the landowners who allowed him to hunt on their property. He had explained how it showed the landowners how appreciative he was for their generosity. I have practiced this show of thanks ever since.

I cannot begin to explain how excited people get to receive a heart-felt thank-you from me when I do this, I told my new friend. He looked puzzled and asked how much it cost to say thanks. A lot less than payments and taxes on hunting land, I replied.

Think about this the next time a landowner allows you access to their property. I have found that a simple show of thanks, such as a token gift, creates a bond between the landowner, and that becomes very strong. Kindness goes a long way with everybody.

For example, I was hunting a wood lot which had proved to be quite productive. I drove by one summer day in the hopes of doing some early scouting when I noticed several posted signs. There had never been posted signs on that property before so I figured that the land had traded hands.

I decided to visit the woman who had previously given me the permission to hunt her property and inquire about the signs. She invited me in for a glass of iced tea and we began to visit.

Shortly into our visit she asked me if I had seen the signs. I replied that I had and asked if she had sold the property. She laughed and said that the signs were for me.

“What did I do?” I asked.

She interrupted and told me that they were a good thing. She went on to say that I was the only person who had ever come back – outside of the hunting season – to thank her, and that I was the only one now welcome on her land.

This kind of response is not typical; however, it happens. People reward kindness with kindness and it is so easy to do. There are many ways to show your thanks for someone allowing you to do what you love to do. I have baled hay for hunting access; I have shoveled snow and even showed up with a weed eater and trimmed around a yard full of trees and a barn.

The smiles are unforgettable when someone is presented with a gift of kindness like that.

I stopped at a farm one time to ask permission to hunt and was denied. I was informed that the guy just didn’t want people on his property. I told him I respected his wish and went on to ask if there were any fish in the creek that bordered his farm. He told me about all the fish he used to catch out of that creek but said he hadn’t been fishing in five or six years.

I was on my way to go fishing when I stopped to ask him about hunting so I invited him to go fishing with me. He thought for a minute and said that he would like to go fishing.

We didn’t catch anything worth bragging about; however, about an hour into the fishing, he gave me permission to hunt all of his property. I try to take him fishing with me every summer, and we have a great time.

Ask yourself what little thing you can do to express your gratitude for the people who show you kindness during the hunting season. This works for all types of outdoor sports as well. I have taken a gentleman squirrel hunting for allowing me to fish his farm pond. Remember that it is much easier to gain access to hunting land if the landowner sees you more than one time a year – usually right before the season opens.

Remember to show your gratitude to everyone who helps in your ability to enjoy the great outdoors, like the wife who smiles when you tell her about the hunting trip you want to take. Never forget the value of a bag of venison jerky or hot sticks. They are always good for a big smile when you pull them out of your pocket. Mostly, remember that it’s a great outdoors.

Journal-Standard writer Jim Kilchermann is an avid outdoorsman who is thankful to all of the people who help him enjoy his outdoor passion. Contact him at jimkilchermann@yahoo.com and share a story or a story idea. This column is the opinion of the writer and not of the newspaper.

Some people are known to fret over these things. Despite some ridiculous e-mails that make the rounds of cyber-space, Mars never approaches so close that you an see its round disc with the naked eyes, or its gravitational field causes earthquakes. It simply doesn’t happen. Heaven knows, the Earth quakes enough on its own without any neighboring planet helping out.

This is a rather mediocre close approach; the planets have elliptical orbits rather than perfect circles, so their passage approximately every two years varies a great deal. At this conjunction, Mars is approximately 61,720,800 miles away. Mars does reaches aphelion (its point farthest from the sun) on March 31.

The perihelion point of Earth (when we are closest to the sun) occurred Jan. 3. On that day we were 91.405 million miles from our star; it won’t reach aphelion until July 4, when Earth will be at its maximum distance, 94.512 million miles.

Mars varies from 128.6 million to 160 million miles from the sun. Obviously, the orbit of Mars is much more elliptical than Earth’s.

The closest possible approach between the two planets is when Earth is at aphelion and Mars is at perihelion, at the same time. This brings us only 34.088 million miles apart. This time Mars is 61.7 million miles away.

How far is that? Consider, the Earth is 7,926 miles wide at the equator. It would take 7,787 earths end to end to reach the distance of Mars.

Still, the Red Planet is impressive in the eastern evening sky. It is shining at magnitude –1.3, just a little but less luminous than Sirius (magnitude –1.45), the brightest star in the night sky. Blue-white Sirius may be seen far to the right of Mars, the southeast.

With the Martian year nearly twice that of the Earth year, Mars comes near only once in about 26 months. On “off” years, Mars appears considerably dimmer, about magnitude +2 (similar to the stars of Orion’s Belt or the brighter stars of the Big Dipper). Its brightness at close approach, however, varies in a cycle of 15 to 17 years.

It’s interesting to ponder that while you gaze up at Mars, several robots from Earth are dutifully studying the planet, both on the dusty ground and from Martian orbit.

This is the closest Mars will be until 2012. If you have a telescope, see what you it will show you. You should be able to tell at once that Mars is more than a star-like point of light. Using a low power eyepiece, look for its tiny, pale orange disc. Magnification of 100x or more might show you a bit more, but don’t be surprised if it looks like a quivering, orange blob. Unsteadiness in our atmosphere makes the planet’s image shiver and shake. So does any vibration to your telescope.

If you have an open-ended reflector telescope, you should set it outside in the cold air for an hour or even more before using it with high magnification. Warm air from inside the house needs to flow from the telescope tube. Otherwise, your high powered views of Mars, the moon or anything else, will be affected by the turbulent air drifting out.

On rare nightsof good “seeing” - when the air is still, you may be able to see the white North Polar Cap on Mars, and vague, gray smudges on the planet surface. I was looking the other night, and marveled at how easy it was to see the bright white cap. For interest, I glanced at the snow on the ground, lit by the Moon, and then looked back at the Martian polar snow and ice, as seen in the eyepiece. Either way, it was snow!

Full moon occurs Jan. 30, and last-quarter moon is on Feb. 5.

I love hearing from readers. E-mail pbecker@wayneindependent.com.

Keep looking up!

State Attorney General Mike Cox told the justices they had denied Michigan’s request last month without knowing that scientists had detected genetic material from the carp in Lake Michigan for the first time.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers learned of the carp DNA find Jan. 15 but did not inform the high court until hours after the Jan. 19 ruling, Solicitor General Elena Kagan acknowledged in a letter to the court clerk.

The court should reconsider its ruling because of that disclosure and because the Army Corps and Illinois are moving too slowly to prevent a carp invasion of the lakes, Cox said in a written motion.

“It is sadly apparent that, left to its own inertia, the Corps is inclined to stall and rationalize away the facts until it is too late to prevent Asian carp from becoming established in Lake Michigan,” he said. “Thus, the need for immediate action by this Court is even more urgent.”

Lynn Whelen, spokeswoman for the Army Corps’ Chicago district, said she could not comment on pending litigation. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources and state attorney general’s office also declined to comment.

Nancy Sutley, chairwoman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, is scheduled to discuss the carp issue Monday in Washington with three of the region’s governors: Jennifer Granholm of Michigan, Jim Doyle of Wisconsin and Pat Quinn of Illinois.

Bighead and silver carp, both Asian species, have been migrating toward the Great Lakes through the Mississippi and Illinois rivers for decades. Scientists say the carp, which can reach 4 feet in length and 100 pounds, could starve out popular sport fish such as salmon and trout.

The Army Corps said last month it was confident its strategy - including construction of a third electronic barrier in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal and poisoning waterways where necessary - would prevent the carp from taking hold in the lakes.

No actual carp have been found between the barrier and Lake Michigan. One dead carp turned up just south of the barrier - more than 25 miles from the lake - after officials poisoned the canal in December.

Locks and gates in the waterways are leaky and closing them would not be a foolproof method of protecting Lake Michigan, Gen. John Peabody of the Army Corps said in January.

Cox’s motion also said a new Wayne State University study cast doubt on claims by Illinois and federal officials that closing the locks would cost the Chicago economy about $190 million annually. The study by John C. Taylor, a transportation specialist, said the losses likely would be closer to $70 million.

“This stands in contrast t o the billions in economic activity and thousands of jobs at risk if Asian carp enter the Great Lakes,” Cox said.

Minnesota, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, New York and the Canadian province of Ontario are supporting a separate Michigan lawsuit seeking closure of the locks and an eventual separation of the Great Lakes from the Mississippi River basin.

Sen. Debbie Stabenow and Rep. Dave Camp, both of Michigan, have introduced legislation to close the locks.

Second went to Tim Presley and Dennis Maher with 30. Third went to Mike Bowen and Tim Conover with 18. Special mention to the team of Mike Baker and Chad Buchs with 14. Last year they had only two.

Reports the Head Worm, “Hunting was different and birds were hard to figure out. Kind of like duck and goose hunting this year. Snow cover was heavier west of Peoria near the Galesburg area and birds stayed closer to major roosting towns and did not come out to the fields to feet properly. We did find them near a standing corn field eventually to finish up a better hunt later in the day. But all had a great day in the fields and will do the crow-a-thon next year.”

The Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision about the American pika is expected Friday.

If the furry, big-eared relative of the rabbit becomes protected under the Endangered Species Act, some legal experts predict it could have ramifications for future climate policies.

The pika lives mostly in high, rocky mountain slopes in 10 Western states.

The animals are well-suited for alpine conditions, but as temperatures warm they’re forced to move up-slope. In some places, scientists say the pika has run out of room to run and populations have disappeared.

NORTHWEST
Crawford Creek Impoundment
Bluegill and crappie has slowed.  Use tear drops and wax worms.  Anglers are targeting the area southwest of the boat ramp and areas with structure.  Bluegill - Fair: Anglers are catching bluegill about hand size with orange or green glow in the dark teardrops with wax worms.  Bluegill are being caught in 12 feet of water fishing about 8 inches off the bottom from about 3 to 5:30 p.m.  Crappie - Fair: Anglers are picking up crappie with wax worms and minnows, some are nice size fish.  Crappie fishing at Crawford Creek has been best after dark.  Crappies are in the 8 to 10-inch range.

Badger Lake
The bluegill and crappie fishing has slowed down some, but anglers are still catching a few nice sized fish.  Bluegill - Fair: Nice size bluegill are being caught with small jigs and wax worms.  Crappie - Fair: Nice size crappie are being caught as well.

Brushy Creek Lake
Fishing on Brushy Creek has slowed.  Keep moving around to find the fish.  Bluegill - Slow: Bluegill are being caught in 20 to 25 feet of water right off of the bottom.  Tear drops and wax worms have been working the best.  Crappie - Slow: A few crappies have been caught on minnows.  Walleye - Slow: Walleye have been slow, but try just at sunset for them.  Anglers have been picking a few up on minnows.

Storm Lake (including Little Storm Lake)
Walleye fishing has picked up on the lake.  Access to the lake has improved.  Walleye - Good: Anglers have been using jigs tipped with minnow heads or minnows under a bobber.  Try to target areas away from the crowds of anglers.  A good number of walleye are being caught in the 12 to 13-inch size range, a few walleye bigger than 22 inches are being picked up.  Evening has been the most productive.

Black Hawk Lake
Anglers have been working the lake, but the fishing has been pretty slow.  Boat ramp area on Ice House Point and 30 Acres boat ramp has been plowed out.  Bluegill - Slow: Some bluegill are being caught with wax worms, but most are smaller size fish.  Crappie - Slow: Some crappie are being caught with wax worms and minnows, but most are smaller size fish.  Walleye - Slow: Some walleye, mostly shorter than the 15-inch minimum, are being caught near the old dredge cuts near Denison Beach in the evenings with super dupers and minnow heads.

There has been a lull in fishing activity around the Black Hawk District, but some are still being caught.  Always use caution on the ice. For more information about these lakes and rivers call Don Herrig 712-657-2638 at the Black Hawk District Office in Lake View.

Beeds Lake
Ice thickness 18 to 20 inches.  Bluegill - Slow:  Crappie - Slow:

Eldred Sherwood Lake
Ice thickness 18 to 20 inches. Fishing been slow.  Bluegill - Slow:

Upper Pine Lake
We have received no information regarding fishing on this water body this week.

Lake Smith
Ice thickness 18 to 20 inches.  Bluegill - Slow:

Clear Lake
Ice thickness is 18 to 21 inches. Yellow bass fishing has been slow. A few fish are being caught at dawn and dusk.  Walleye - Slow: most fish caught are below the 14-inch length limit.  Muskellunge - Slow:  Yellow Bass - Slow: 

Lake Cornelia
Ice thickness is 18 to 20 inches.

Rice Lake
Ice thickness is 16 to 20 inches.  Crappie - Slow:  Yellow Perch - Slow:

Silver Lake (Worth)
Ice thickness is 18 to 20 inches.  Yellow Perch - Slow:

Blue Pit
Ice thickness 18 to 20 inches. Trout are biting.  Rainbow Trout - Good:

Bluebill Lake
Ice thickness is 18 to 20 inches.  Bluegill - Slow:  Yellow Perch - Slow:

Fin and Feather Lake
Ice thickness 18 to 20 inches.  Bluegill - Slow:

Elm Lake
Ice thickness 18 to 20 inches.  Yellow Perch - Slow:

For more information on fishing in the area lakes and rivers, call us at the Clear Lake Fisheries Office at 641-357-3517.

Lake Pahoja
Bluegill - Fair: Use ice jigs tipped with wax worms or wigglers around structure.  Crappie - Fair: Use ice jigs tipped with wax worms or wigglers around structure.

Mill Creek (Lake)
If you are looking for a place to take a child ice fishing for the first time Mill Creek Lake would be a good place to start.  Bluegills of all sizes with a possible largemouth bass can be expected.  Bluegill - Good: Use small ice jigs tipped with a wax worm or wiggler around weed beds or any other structure.

Big Spirit Lake
People are driving onto the ice at Buffalo Run, Crandall’s Beach, Miniwakan State Park boat ramp and Marble Beach.  There are a few slush pockets that haven’t froze solid yet if your front tires drop into a pocket stop and back out don’t pull forward far enough to get all 4 tires in.  Large slush pockets have been reported between Jackson and Cottonwood Points.  Bluegill - Fair: Use small ice jigs tipped with a wax worm or wiggler on the north end of Anglers Bay.  A few fish are also being caught at the Grade.  Yellow Perch - Fair: Use ice jigs tipped with wax worms or wigglers in deep water around Big Stoney Point.  Walleye - Fair: Use jigging lures tipped with a minnow head or whole minnow on rock bars in the evenings or at sunrise.

East Okoboji Lake
Walleye - Fair: Use jigging lures tipped with a minnow head on rock bars in the evening.  Yellow Bass - Fair: Fish the south end of the lake in 20 to 22 feet of water with live bait in the evenings.

West Okoboji Lake
People are driving onto the ice at Triboji Beach, north shore of Smith’s Bay, south shore of Miller’s Bay, and at the Emerson Bay boat ramp.  Bluegill - Fair: Use small ice jigs tipped with plastics or live bait in the bays along weed beds, the fish are scattered so keep moving to find fish.  Yellow Perch - Fair: Fish along the edge of weed beds at Eagle Point or fish on sand out in deeper water in Emerson and Miller’s Bay with small ice jigs tipped with wax worms or wigglers or a small minnow below a slip bobber.  A few fish are also being caught off Triboji in 20 feet of water in the mornings.

Five Island Lake
Crappie - Fair: Use an ice jig tipped with a minnow head or wax worm.  Walleye - Good: Fish at sunrise or sunset along drop offs with jigging lures tipped with a minnow head.

Snow conditions on the lakes are getting better.  Remember that walleye season on Big Spirit, East and West Okoboji lakes closes on February 15.  For more information on the Spirit Lake area call 712-336-1840.

NORTHEAST
Volga Lake
Ice depths are running in the 20-inch range.  Now is the time of year to try angling at varying depths.  Good oxygen levels down to 12 feet.    Bluegill - Slow:  Largemouth Bass - Slow:  Crappie - Slow:

Lake Hendricks
Anglers are reporting the best time to fish for crappie seems to be in the evening and early morning while daytime angling is best for bluegills.  Bluegill - Slow:  Crappie - Slow: Some sorting is necessary.

Lake Meyer
Oxygen levels on the lake are good down to 20 feet.  If you don’t catch fish a few feet off the bottom try mid depth or even a foot or two below the ice.  Also key your efforts around structure, such as brush or rock piles.  Ice depths are running 19 inches.  Bluegill - Slow:  Crappie - Slow:  Yellow Perch - Slow:

Cedar River (above Nashua)
Smallmouth Bass - Slow: A few small smallmouth bass are being caught below the dam at Nashua.  Walleye - Slow: A few small walleye are being caught below the dam at Nashua.

Decorah District Streams
Fishing for trout has been excellent recently most likely due to slightly cloudier conditions on the streams from runoff.  Try using a dark subsurface fly.  Midges have been hatching fairly often on bright sunny warmer days. 

Ice conditions remain good on area lakes.  Use caution when going out on area rivers and streams as many are opening up.  For more information, please call the Decorah Trout Hatchery at 563-382-8324.

Silver Lake (Delaware)
Anglers have had some success catching mainly bluegill with an occasional crappie. Best success has been early morning or late afternoon before dark.  Bluegill - Slow: Concentrate in the deeper water just off of the bottom with an ice jig and wax worm.

Brinker Lake
Anglers are taking both bluegill and crappie, but some sorting may be necessary. There have been reports of a few channel catfish being taken as well.  Bluegill - Fair:  Crappie - Fair: Anglers are taking a few nice sized crappies using a jig tipped with a minnow.

George Wyth Lake
Anglers have been fishing early morning and late evening with some success on both bluegill and crappie, but some sorting may be necessary.  Bluegill - Fair: Anglers are reporting catches of bluegill.  Crappie - Fair: Anglers have been catching crappie on a fairly consistent basis. Look for areas where pressure has been the heaviest.

North Prairie Lake
This lake was stocked with trout on January 16 and should still provide good numbers of trout.  Brown Trout - Fair: Trout are not real selective on tackle, flashy jigs or lures work best for these aggressive fish. Also try wax worms or power bait tipped on small jigs.

Martens Lake
Anglers had been doing well on both crappie and bluegill before this latest cold snap. Concentrate efforts on the west side of the marsh and look for where there has been heavy angling activity on the ice. Ice conditions have been anywhere from 14 to 18 inches thick.  Bluegill - Fair: Most catches have been from anglers concentrating on catching crappie.  Crappie - Good: Cecils and Swedish pimples tipped with a wax worm have been the favorites for anglers targeting crappie.

Plainfield
Anglers are catching nice size bluegill on this thirty acre lake.  Bluegill - Fair: Try locating structure and fishing just off of the bottom with an ice jig and wax worm.

Wapsipinicon River (Tripoli to Troy Mills)
Anglers are catching some nice sized crappie above the dam in Independence and in good numbers. Also reports of bluegill and northern pike being caught.  Northern Pike - Fair: Anglers have been catching pike while fishing for crappie using either a wax worm or minnow under a jig. Also been having success using tip-up rigs.  Bluegill - Fair: Try fishing the Independence Impoundment above the dam.  Crappie - Good: Try fishing in two to three foot of water on the backwaters of the Wapsi above the dam. Best reports have come from anglers using Cecil’s tipped with a wax worm.

Ice thickness around Black Hawk County is varying from 8 to 12 inches. Best success has been on the following lakes; Martens (Sweet Marsh), Plainfield, George Wyth and Brinker for bluegill and crappie. The Independence Impoundment above the Dam in Buchanan County has been good this week for crappie. North Prairie Lake was stocked with trout on January 16 and should still provide good action. For more information contact the district office in Manchester at 563-927-3276.

MISSISSIPPI RIVER
Mississippi River Pool 9
Ice conditions are excellent.  Bluegill - Slow: Some bluegill being taken from the Village Creek boat ramp and above the Marina in Lansing.  Fishing is slow and most anglers using teardrops and wax worms.  Crappie - Slow: Not many caught but they can be large.  Anglers using wax worms and teardrops and some using prepared baits such as gulp.

Mississippi River Pool 10
Ice conditions are excellent.  Bluegill - Slow: A few bluegills are being reported below the spillway at Harpers Ferry but fishing is slow.  Crappie - Slow: Not many being reported but a few are being taken at the lower end of Norwegian Slough and Bussey Lake.

Mississippi River Pool 11
Ice conditions are excellent.  White Bass - Fair: Some white bass are being reported in larger sloughs and deeper water side channels.  Bluegill - Slow: Some bluegills being caught at Mud Lake.  A few being taken in the marina and some at Zollicoffers.  Crappie - Slow: Once in a while a nice crappie is taken from the marina area on jig and wax worm.  Swift slough up by Guttenberg also has a few crappies taken at times.  Yellow Perch - Slow: The yellow perch bite can start later in the season and surveys show a strong yellow perch population in places like Mud Lake and Sunfish Lake. 

Solid ice for fishing remains with most areas having 12 inches or more of ice. The boat ramps at Lynxville and the city ramp in Guttenberg are locked in ice. Call Guttenberg fisheries station for current conditions at 563-252-1156.

Mississippi River Pool 12
Backwater ice conditions are good with 12 inches or greater at most lakes. Ice conditions in areas of flowing water will be considerably less and travel on them is not recommended. River stage in Dubuque is stable at 8.22 feet.  Anglers in Pool 12 should keep an eye out for radio tagged crappie. The DNR has externally radio tagged 200 crappies in Pool 12 and will be tracking them over the course of the next year. Tags are attached to the dorsal spines and we ask that you release any tagged fish.  Bluegill - Slow: Bluegill fishing has been slow the past week in the backwaters and anglers have to sort through a lot of small fish.  Crappie - Slow: Crappie fishing has been slow the past week in the backwaters with very few reports of fish being caught.  Sauger - Fair: A few anglers have been pulling boats off the ice from the Wisconsin side of the tail waters and catching a few saugers.

Mississippi River Pool 13
Backwater ice conditions are good with 12 inches or greater at most lakes. Ice conditions in areas of flowing water will be considerably less and travel on them is not recommended. River stage in Bellevue is 6.05 feet and if forecast to rise to 6.30 feet.  Bluegill - Slow: Bluegill fishing in the backwaters has been slow and catches have consisted of a lot of small fish.  Crappie - Slow: Crappie fishing in the backwaters has been slow.

Mississippi River Pool 14
Backwater ice conditions are good with 12 inches or greater at most lakes. Ice conditions in areas of flowing water will be considerably less and travel on them is not recommended. River stage in Camanche is stable at 9.52 feet.  Bluegill - Slow: Bluegill fishing has been slow and anglers have had to sort a lot of small fish.  Crappie - Slow: Crappie fishing has been slow, as well.  Although some crappie are being caught just after dark at Rock Creek.

For fishing information in Pool 12 to 15 of the Mississippi River contact the Bellevue Fish Management and Research Station at 563-872-4976

Mississippi River Pool 16
Tail water stage is 6.40 feet. Anglers have been able to launch boats at the Marquette St. ramp in Davenport. Ice fishing has been slow in Sunset Marina.  Bluegill - Slow: Ice fishing in Sunset Marina for bluegills has been slow.  Largemouth Bass - No Report:  Crappie - Slow: Crappie fishing in Sunset Marina has been slow.  Sauger - Slow: A few saugers are being caught in Sylvan Slough on jigs and minnows. Some saugers are also being caught around wing dams jigging with minnows.  Walleye - Slow: Walleye fishing in the tail waters has been slow.

Mississippi River Pool 17
Tail water stage is 5.37 feet. Anglers have been able to launch boats at both ramps in Muscatine. There is a lot of small ice chunks floating at both ramps. Ice fishing in the backwaters has been slow.  Bluegill - Slow: Fishing has been slow in Big Timber. Big Timber has variable ice thicknesses of 4 to 6 inches.  Crappie - Slow: Crappie fishing in Big Timber has been slow.  Sauger - No Report:  Walleye - No Report:

Mississippi River Pool 18
Tail water stage is 7.72 feet.  Anglers have been able to access the tail waters to walleye and sauger fish from the Toolesboro Access. Most ice fishing reports are coming from area lakes and ponds.  Bluegill - Slow:  Crappie - Slow:  Sauger - No Report:  Walleye - No Report:

Mississippi River Pool 19
Tail water stage is 5.10 feet. Anglers have been able to access the tail waters to walleye and sauger fish. Ice fishing in the backwaters has been slow. Most ice fishing reports are coming from area lakes and ponds.  Bluegill - Slow:  Crappie - Slow:  Sauger - No Report:  Walleye - No Report:

Mississippi River Pools 16 to 20: Anglers have been able to access the tail waters throughout Pools 16 to 19 to sauger and walleye fish. River levels have been falling over the past week. Ice fishing in the backwaters has been slow. Most ice fishing reports are coming from area lakes and ponds. Backwaters have variable ice thicknesses so take caution when ice fishing. For more information on fishing Pools 16 to 20 of the Mississippi River contact the Fairport Fish Hatchery at 563-263-5062.

SOUTHEAST
Lake Geode
Ice conditions have improved, somewhat.  Some of the ice is only a couple of inches thick.  Use extreme caution.  Bluegill - Slow: Try around the piles of fish habitat in the area around the main boat ramp.

Lake of the Hills
Ice fishing remains slow going.  Bluegill - Slow: Anglers are picking up a few small bluegills.  Crappie - Slow: Just a few small crappies are being caught.

For more information on the above lakes call the Lake Darling Fisheries Office at 319-694-2430

Iowa Lake
Bluegill - Slow:  Crappie - Slow:

Kent Park Lake
Bluegill - Slow:

Lake Macbride
Bluegill - Slow:  Crappie - Slow:

Central Park Lake
Bluegill - Slow:

Pleasant Creek Lake
Bluegill - Slow:  Crappie - Slow:

Diamond Lake
Bluegill - Slow:  Crappie - Fair: Most fish are small (7 inches)

Otter Creek Lake
Bluegill - Slow:  Yellow Bass - Fair:

Union Grove Lake
Bluegill - Slow:  Crappie - Slow:

For more information call the Lake Macbride Fisheries Station at 319-624-3615.

Lake Wapello
The lake was drained in the summer of 2009 but is now full.

Red Haw Lake
The lake’s ice is variable.  Use caution if venturing out onto the ice.  Bluegill - Fair: Use tear drop jigs tipped with a wax worm.  Try areas around submerged cedar trees.  Some fish have been up to 9 inches in length.

Lake Keomah
The ice is variable in thickness so use caution if heading out.  The latest measurements have about 7 inches out in from out the fishing pier and over by the dam.  Very few anglers have been fishing.

Lake Miami
The ice thickness varies so use caution if venturing out onto the ice.  Very few anglers have been venturing out so far this winter.  Remember the lake has been drawn down all year.  Find areas with structure and try small jigs tipped with wax worms.

Lake Sugema
Use caution if venturing out.  Ice thickness is variable.  Bluegill - Fair: Use tear drop jigs tipped with a wax worm.  Crappie - Slow: Use wax worms or minnows on small jigs.  Try fishing within a foot or two of the lake bottom.

Rathbun Reservoir
Use caution if venturing out because the ice thickness varies from place to place.  The last measurements taken have about 12 to 14 inches in spots including Atwell’s, Glenwood and the Dedication Site boat ramp.  Crappie - Slow: Try using small jigs tipped with either a minnow or wax worms.  Find areas with submerged structure for the best results.  The Buck Creek area and Atwell’s has been producing some crappies.

For additional fishing information in south central Iowa call the Rathbun Fish Hatchery at 641-647-2406.

SOUTHWEST
Beaver Lake
Bluegill - Good: Beaver Lake is producing some decent bluegills through the ice this year.  The larger ones being caught are 8 to 9 inches.  Anglers are having success in 15 to 20 feet of water out from the dam and on the 9 to 15 foot ridge that runs south of the 40 foot hole across the lake from the boat ramp.  Fish are being caught using wax worms and spikes.  Crappie - Fair: With the bluegills, anglers are picking up a few decent crappies up to 11 inches.

Roberts Creek Lake
Crappie - Slow: A few crappies are being caught in the deeper water out from the east access.

Big Creek Lake
Bluegill - Fair: The bluegill bite is light, but some good bluegills from 7 to 9 inches are being caught mostly midday through late afternoon off sunken brush piles in the main lake and in front of the deeper coves. Depths around 15 feet or greater have been best. Both wax worms and spikes have been working.  Crappie - Good: Crappie are being caught near the roadbed in 30 to 40 feet of water off the east road bed out from the Ensign shelter and into the handicap pier bay.  Live minnows have been working best, but glow jigs with wax worms have also been working.  The bite has been best from 5:30 to 10 p.m.   

Hickory Grove Lake
Bluegill - Slow: The bluegill bite is slow, but some fish are still being caught late in the afternoon and especially just before and after sunset near sunken habitat.  This habitat can be found in most of the coves and in deeper water out from the points.  It is taking some jumping from hole to hole to find active fish.  The bluegills are good sized around 8 inches and are being caught using both wax worms and spikes.  Crappie - Slow: A few crappies are being pulled off the same sunken habitat as the bluegills.  Better crappie are being caught suspended in the deeper water in the evenings.  Some of the crappie being caught are 10 to 11 inches.

Lake Ahquabi
Bluegill - Fair: Anglers are catching some good bluegills on the sunken brush piles.  For a map with GPS locations for the brush piles and rock piles email Andy.Otting@dnr.iowa.gov  Ahquabi can produce some large bluegills over 9 inches.  Crappie - Fair: Anglers fishing over the brush piles are also picking up a few crappies.  Some have been up to 12 inches.

Red Rock Reservoir
Anglers below the Red Rock spillway are having success snagging large buffalo and bighead carp.

Lake Petoka
Rainbow Trout - Good: 1,700 rainbow trout were stocked January 16.  Good numbers of fish should still be present.  Some anglers are still catching their limit.  Several large brood fish were also stocked.  The fish are biting on small jigs and spoons tipped with one or several wax worms.  Small live minnows also work well.  The water is clear enough to sight fish.

Banner Lake (south)
Rainbow Trout - Good: 1,500 Rainbow trout were stocked on January 14.  Good numbers of fish still remain to be caught.  Bluegill - Fair: There has been reports of a few anglers catching some bluegills up to 9 inches.

As of February 4, most central Iowa lakes have 15 inches plus of ice.  Fishing success has been fair over the last week.  Most fish are being caught early in the mornings and especially in the afternoon and evenings.  Contact Ben Dodd or Andy Otting at 515 432-2823 for information on the above area lakes and rivers.
Greenfield Lake
Greenfield lake has a consistent 14 inches of ice. Greenfield is a popular ice fishing lake because of the quality panfish fishery.  Bluegill - Slow: Bluegills have been slow using wax worms.

Nodaway Lake
Nodaway Lake should offer good crappie fishing this winter with a large year class in the 8 to 9-inch range. Bluegills are 7 inches. Nodaway has 14 inches of ice.  Bluegill - Fair: Bluegills up to 7.5 inches are being caught using wax worms. The best reports are between 3 and 4 p.m.  Crappie - Slow: A few crappies are being caught using minnows. Try fishing late in the afternoon.

Lake Anita
Lake Anita will offer excellent ice fishing opportunities this year. Fall samples show that bluegills and crappies experienced good growth in 2009.  Anita has 12 to 14 inches of ice.  Bluegill - Fair: The best bluegill bite has been consistently between 5 and 6 p.m. Anglers are catching many fish exceeding 8 inches using wax worms.  Crappie - Fair: The best success has been fishing with minnows in the evening. Late afternoon to after dark is best. Crappies are running 9 to 10 inches.

Lake Manawa
Manawa has 14 inches of ice.  Crappie - Slow: Crappies are slow but anglers are still catching a few. Jigs with small spinner tipped with a live minnow is working best.

Cold Springs District Farm Ponds
Farm ponds offer excellent opportunity for quality ice fishing in southern Iowa. Remember to always ask permission before fishing a private pond.  Bluegill - Slow: Typically bluegills can be found in the deepest part of the pond. Tip small jigs with wax worms and start fishing a foot off the bottom.  Crappie - Slow: Fish the larger farm ponds using wax worms or minnows. Fish different depths in the water column as crappie can be suspended.

Fishing has improved somewhat from last week. Late afternoon has been the best time to fish in most reports. Anglers can expect to find 14 to 18 inches of ice on most lakes in southwest Iowa. For more information contact Bryan Hayes or Mark Boucher at the Cold Springs District Office 712-769-2587.

Name of Product: Talon Hunting Hang-on Tree Stands and Brackets/Straps

Units: About 6,800

Manufacturer: Summit Treestands LLC, of Decatur, Ala.

Hazard: The tree stand can unexpectedly detach from the tree when the brackets fail, posing a fall hazard to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: The firm has received four reports of the brackets failing, resulting in reports of falls and injuries including broken bones.

Description: This recall involves Talon Raptor brackets/straps and Cabelas Realtree series hang-on tree stands with the Talon brackets/straps. A safety label sewn onto the bracket reads “Treestand Strap Assembly.” Tree stands involved in this recall have the following model numbers: rsEagle 82044, rsOsprey 82041, rsFalcon 82042, rsHawk 82043 and Cabelas Realtree Outfitters Series Hawk Deluxe 81509. Model information is printed on the tree stand warning label that is sewn onto the seat.

Sold at: Hunting stores and in catalogs nationwide from May 2009 through November 2009 for about $25 for the bracket only, for between $130 and $180 for the tree stand.

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the brackets and contact Summit Treestands to receive a replacement bracket/strap.
Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Summit Treestands at (800) 241-5559 anytime, or

click here to visit their Web site. Click here to see recalled products.

CPSC is still interested in receiving incident or injury reports that are either directly related to this product recall or involve a different hazard with the same product.  Click here to pass on information.

While praising Obama for stepping up Great Lakes environmental spending, activists said his proposal for the 2011 budget still represents a 36 percent cut from the 2010 appropriation of $475 million.

“The need for increased Great Lakes restoration funding is higher than ever,” Gildo Tori, regional public policy director for Ducks Unlimited, said in a phone conference.

The groups said they would push Congress to at least match the current year’s $475 million. That amount, they said, would improve prospects for fulfilling Obama’s campaign pledge of $5 billion over a decade.

“The administration started strong; it needs to stay strong,” said Andy Buchsbaum, co-chair of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition.

Sen. Carl Levin, a Michigan Democrat, said he believes there is strong support among Congress members from Great Lakes states to restore the funding, and he is “hopeful we can do so.”

The groups’ plea comes at a time of rising public anger over budget deficits and complaints from many in Congress that Obama’s $3.8 trillion budget would spend too much.

Lisa Jackson, head of the Environmental Protection Agency, described the proposed Great Lakes funding Monday as “robust” in view of the struggling economy. She noted that much of the 2010 money had not been spent.

But there’s no shortage of needs, Tori said. EPA’s call for proposals to use the first $120 million from the current year’s pot of money drew about 1,500 submissions seeking a combined $300 million, he said.

Fixing the lakes would be good for the economy and create jobs, said Jeff Skelding, the Healing Our Waters coalition’s campaign director. Carrying out a wide-ranging plan known as the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative would generate $50 billion worth of economic activity - twice as much as it would cost, according to a 2007 Brookings Institution study.

“We certainly appreciate the difficult economy,” Buchsbaum said. “But deep cuts in the Great Lakes restoration budget are not the answer.”

The animals were spared several years ago from a periodic slaughter of bison leaving Yellowstone because of worries about animal disease.

They are now in a joint federal-state quarantine compound in southern Montana’s Paradise Valley but could be moved to Turner’s ranch within weeks, state officials said Tuesday.

Montana turned down requests from a Wyoming state park and at least two American Indian reservations that wanted some or all of the bison.

Turner will care for the animals for five years and in return wants 75 percent of their offspring, an estimated 188 bison. Montana would get an estimated 150 bison back in 2015.

Conservation groups, a coalition of tribes and U.S. Department of Agriculture veterinarians opposed the propo sal as a privatization of public wildlife.

“There were a lot of people that wanted them on public lands. We’re not ready,” said Montana wildlife chief David Risley. “The Turner option, all it does is buy us time to come up with a long term solution.”

Turner, founder of CNN and former owner of the Atlanta Braves, already owns more than 50,000 bison at sites across the country. He sells bison burgers through his namesake restaurant chain but wants the Yellowstone animals because of their pure genetics.

Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer invited Turner to submit an offer last fall, after an earlier plan to move them onto a Wyoming reservation fell through.

The Indian reservations were not equipped to take the bison and there were fears Wyoming would sell some of the animals, Risley said.

Wyoming state veterinarian Jim Logan said there was no such intent. He argued the animals should have been kept in the public domain instead of given to Turner.

” But politics and money and names talk,” Logan said.

Guernsey State Park in Wyoming had sought 14 of the animals. Tribes on Montana’s Fort Belknap and Fort Peck Indian reservations also asked for some of the bison but were denied.

Turner had said that if some of the animals went to Wyoming, Montana would get fewer bison back because he needed a certain number to justify his expenses.

Those costs are estimated at $480,000 over five years, or about $2,500 for every bison he will keep.

State and federal agencies have spent up to $250,000 annually on the quarantine program since 2005.

The bison will be kept on 12,000 acres on Turner’s Flying D Ranch south of Bozeman.

The ranch already has about 4,500 commercial bison and thousands of wild elk hunted by paying clients and members of the public. A Turner spokesman said
Tuesday that the Yellowstone bison were too valuable to hunt and could be mixed in with a herd of bison he owns in New Mexico.

“We welcome the opportunity to be partners with FWP (Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks) in the stewardship of these iconic bison,” said Russell Miller with Turner Enterprises.

Miller said the deal with the state “conserves Yellowstone bison genetics and increases the number of bison available to populate public and tribal lands.”

Opponents of Turner’s plan questioned whether turning the bison over to a private enterprise was legal. But Montana officials contended that under state law, they had broad latitude with the animals because they are part of a research project.

So this spot is just a natural funnel especially on a day like Nov. 10. The deer can lay low out of the wind and they seemingly love cedar thickets when it’s drizzling rain.

I climbed into my stand and got settled in about 1:30 p.m. The day was slow with absolutely no activity. At about 2:30 I was scanning the draw and turned behind me towards the northeast to scan the timber behind me and the oak ridge to my left. I didn’t see anything so I slowly turned back around to my right and scanned the draw on that side of my stand.

Aout 3 minutes later I turned back to my left where I had just been looking and I saw a deer bedded down under a cedar tree that was not there 3 or 4 minutes ago. As I looked through my binoculars I could tell that it was a good buck, however I didn’t know if he was a shooter. I videoed the buck bedded down and actually watched him lay his head on the ground sideways and go to sleep like a horse. That was the first time I had ever seen that happen. I’ve had deer bed down on me before but, never like this.

I watched him for about 20 minutes then he decided to leave. He stood up, turned, and went back the way he had came from. When he got behind the cedar tree I blew a couple of times on my heat bleat call and then I growled at him three times and he came out from behind that cedar tree and made a B-line straight to the stand.

As he was coming off the ridge is when I could tell he had some real nice, tall G-2’s so I decided to take him if he gave me the oppourtunity. The buck came to within 30 yards of the stand and turned broadside and I thought it was now or never so I drew back, gave him the ole “murrr,”, and sent the arrow flying. He bolted, ran about 60 yards and I watched him expire from the stand.

What a great day! He’s not a monster, but he’s my biggest bow buck to date. He green scored 127. He is a typical main frame 10 with about a 1 inch kicker off his right G-2. The most outstanding feature of this buck was that he weighed in at 220 pounds and was my heaviest deer to date. Seven days earlier I had harvested a doe that weighed 160 pounds

The 12-state index comprises several states from four main regions of the United States. Nine of those states recorded hunting license sales increases from January through December of 2009 over the previous year, according to Southwick Associates, a research firm that monitored the license sales information.

“Many factors such as weather and the economy affect hunting license sales in any given year, but in 2009 the economy likely had a more significant effect,” said Jim Curcuruto, NSSF’s director of industry research and analysis. “While the reasons for the 3.5 percent increase are speculative, past research shows that during slowdowns in the nation’s economy it is possible that people have more time to hunt and that hunters take the opportunity to fill their freezers with nutritious, high-protein meat acquired at lower cost than if a similar amount was purchased at the supermarket.”

States participating in the NSSF License Sales Index are New York and New Jersey in the Northeast; Florida, North Carolina, Louisiana and Tennessee in the Southeast; Minnesota, Indiana, Tennessee and Texas in the Midwest; and Oregon and Utah in the West. States were selected for their ability to provide license sales data on a regular basis. The geographical selections were made to offset potential variation in license sales by region. As more states are able to provide necessary data, the number of states will be increased, said Curcuruto.

According to the index, license sales got off to a good start in the first half of 2009. In the key turkey hunting month of April, license sales rose by approximately 17 percent over the same month the previous year. In June, which is the start of the fiscal year in many states and, hence, the month when many annual licenses go on sale, sales increased by 16.2 percent. In the latter half of the year, which is when the bulk of hunting activity occurs and most licenses are sold, August and October sales were down, but September, November and December sales were up.

Curcuruto noted the findings were a bright spot when considering national hunting license sales totals from all 50 states showed little change from 2005 through 2007 (the most recent year that figures are available). During that period, license sales have held at approximately 14.5 million annually, according to that U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

Typically, hunting license sales data does not become available until 18 to 24 months after sales end. “NSSF and Southwick Associates saw there was a need to work directly with states to receive data in a more timely matter,” said Curcuruto.

The NSSF Hunting License Sales Index is designed to be an indicator of hunting license sales but not an exact measure of all hunting license sales nationally. Should the 3.5 percent rise hold true nationwide, it would represent one of the largest percentage increases in hunting license sales in over 20 years.

The index is a new project involving NSSF and Southwick Associates. The 2009 data was the first released in what both parties expect to be an ongoing effort. NSSF performs this type of research to better equip its member base with information that will help them make more informed business decisions.

Results from the index were first reported to NSSF members and media at the recently concluded 2010 SHOT Show. “Due to positive feedback from those sessions, NSSF plans to continue funding this project in 2010,” said Curcuruto.

Results are based on a weighted average of trends among participating states, so that states with larger hunter populations have a greater impact on the results than smaller states. Due to confidentiality agreements, license sales data is not available on a per-state basis.

Financial details of the easement were not released.

Biologists say pronghorn can travel up to 160 miles during the annual migration. Only the Arctic caribou migrate farther in the Western Hemisphere.

Conservation Fund State Director Luke Lynch said the easement prevents development and ensures sound management of the ranch.

“This project protects the prongh orn and a working cattle ranch - two icons of the American West,” Lynch said. “The Carney family made a significant donation to make this possible - we applaud the three generations of family members for their major commitment to conservation.”

Ranch president John Carney, a former Teton County commissioner, said it was the lifelong dream of his father, Otis Carney, to protect the land.

“He would be very pleased at this outcome,” Carney said.

Protecting the Carney Ranch has been a high priority for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. The ranch provides habitat for 75 “species of greatest conservation need,” one of the highest species counts recorded in the state.

The property will continue to be operated as a cattle ranch. It straddles one of three bottlenecks on the migration route.

The bottlenecks are places where the sagebrush steppe is pinched by topography, vegetation or development. Short sight distances and obstructions might serve as a roadblock to the sometimes skittish pronghorn that rely on keen eyesight and blazing speed to elude predators.

The Conservation Fund purchased the easement using money from various sources, including the Acres for America program, a partnership established between Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The Jonah Interagency Office, Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative, the Wyoming Wildlife & Natural Resources Trust and The Nature Conservancy, through a grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, provided additional funding, Lynch said.

The Jonah Interagency Office is funded in part by gas revenue from the development of the Jonah Field in southern Sublette County.

Brown in summer, white in winter, the jackrabbit is well adapted to remaining invisible to predators, including to its chief enemy the coyote.  Virtually weatherproof in winter, jackrabbits typically live life in the open where they fashion small depressions to lie in.  The effective, surround view perspective makes it virtually impossible for predators to put the sneak on resting jacks.  Highly resourceful, jacks will occasionally excavate makeshift snow caves on the lee side of drifting snow.  But unless the weather really gets tough, the impressive 8 to 9 pound adults are more likely to be seen sitting in front of rather than inside their caves.  Even as howling January winds plunged the chill index into negative double digits this hardy jackrabbit, photographed near Ventura, was perfectly content to relax in the open air.  When it comes to coping with the elements, they just don’t come any tougher than this.

But extreme changes in land use are one thing that jackrabbits have not been able to cope with.  During the 1960s, white-tailed jackrabbits sometimes attained population densities exceeding 100 animals per square mile, while populations of up to 30 per square mile were not uncommon.  Mirroring the dramatic reduction in Iowa’s oats, alfalfa, and pasture habitats, jackrabbits have all but disappeared from much of their former range.  No jackrabbits were observed during the DNR’s statewide 2008 August Roadside Game Survey, and only one jackrabbit was seen during the 2009 survey.

Director Cal Groen told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on Tuesday, “The department and the state did that first wolf season very well.”

In all, some 25,700 Idaho residents bought wolf tags, with another 684 people from outside the state purchasing a chance to shoot one of the big predators. That brought in about $400,000.

So far, 146 wolves have been killed by hunters since the season began Sept. 1, with six of 12 hunting zones still open.

Groen, who presented his agency’s fiscal year 2011 budget proposal of $85 million, says another big step for the agency was getting U.S. Forest Service permission to land helicopters in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness to help count wolves.

He says, “We can finally get a handle on how many wolves we have through radio collars.”

Environmentalists have sued over the landings, saying they violate the law that created federal wilderness areas in 1964.

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Lake Sangchris, Christian County (2,321 acres)

The Lake Sangchris bass population remains stable but not quite where I would like it to be.  There are excellent numbers but their body conditions are still a concern.  Those fish in mid-range sizes, 10”-15”, are not as heavy as they should be.  For one thing the gizzard and threadfin shad that provide forage for all predatory species in the lake do not spawn as well as I would like to see, so the food base is not there.  And secondly, the bass spawn is typically very high so there are lots of bass to feed.  For that reason, beginning in the Spring of 2008 I implemented a special regulation that allows that angler to take one bass over 15” and two bass under 15” home per day.  This limit does two things.  It reduces the numbers under 15” so those bass that are left will have more food and addresses another problem I see on the lake; by limiting the harvest of bass over 15” to one per day, there should be an increase the numbers of larger fish.  Lake Sangchris used to produce more 4+ pound fish than it does now.  I will leave that regulation on for as long as necessary to change the bass population structure and improve their body conditions. 
On a very positive note, I picked up more crappie in the Fall 2009 fish population survey than I have in 20+ years.  I have stocked from the on-site nursery pond nearly 150,000 fingerling crappie since the Fall of 2004 and I believe they are finally having an impact, not so much by providing fish to the angler but by maintaining their numbers at a high enough level to get off a natural in-lake spawn.  The white crappie numbers were better than the black, with fish ranging from 6”-13”, while most of the blacks were sublegal, ranging from 6”-9”.  Most of the black crappie were the “famous” blacknosed crappie.  Those are the crappie that originally came from Arkansas in a trade in 1985.  Those fish have taken on quite a reputation for being hard fighters and very heavy-bodied.  Anglers lover them, so much so that I have also stocked them in Lake Springfield (I will discuss them later).  They have also been stocked in Clinton Lake and Kinkaid Lake in southern Illinois.  Since I am talking about the blacknosed crappie I should point out that I drained the crappie rearing pond in November and stocked from it 18,000 blacknosed crappie.  While not as many as I usually get from the pond, they averaged 7.2” so most will survive in the lake.  So the crappie are doing very well and should continue for years to come.
The striped bass still are not doing as well, at least in size, as I would like.  We began the striped bass program in 1983 stocking 10 fingerlings per acre of water every other year.  By 1988 there were 18 pound fish in the lake.  By 1994 the state record 31+ pounder was caught and many over 20 pounds were taken.  The numbers of large fish of that size has declined this past decade but overall their numbers are up.  In fact, the 2009 survey was the third best I’ve had for numbers of fish collected per net,  However the largest I weighed was only 11 pounds.  There is a very strong year class ranging from 5-8 pounds.  Those fish were collected last Spring, so they have had another growing season and should average about three pounds above that now.  A very nice sized fish but not what the devoted striper anglers would like to catch.
The lake produces excellent numbers of channel and flathead catfish.  The largest flathead catfish I ever seen in a survey was weighed a few years ago.  It was over 65 pounds and good numbers over 20 are taken every year.  The channel cats are doing much better now than in the early years of the lake when they were overpopulated and “stunted”.  Stunting is a condition where there are too many and not enough food to go around so their growth rates, for all practical purposes, stop.  Today 3-5 pound channel cats are quite common.  So the lake looks very good for both species.
Finally, I hear reports of good white bass from time to time but I seldom see any in the surveys so there is little I can say about them.  The lake was very good for white bass in its early years but has dropped off due to poor spawns.  I expect that population to remain sporadic with an occasional good year or two with several years of poor fishing in between.

Lake Springfield, Sangamon County (4,234 acres)

The largemouth bass population continues to be one of the better populations in the state.  Excellent numbers and body conditions are found in the bass in the lake.  For example, in the past 15 annual surveys we have collected over 100 bass per hour of electrofishing which is very high for a lake of this size, maybe the best in the state.  Also as an example, the statewide average weight for a 15” bass is 1.75 pounds.  In Lake Springfield a 15” bass average 2.25 pounds, nearly 30% above the average.  This holds true for all sizes of bass.  All of this due to excellent spawns and an excellent forage base, primarily in the form of gizzard and threadfin shad.  The only downside to the bass population is the apparent lack of large, 4+ pound fish.  I say apparent because I seldom get any fish over 18” in length but the bass fishermen have begun taking very large fish.  I received pictures of an 8.5 and 7.3 pound bass taken in an early Spring tournament.  In addition, within the past two weeks I saw pictures of two more bass over 7 pounds caught in November.  So anglers are beginning to catch larger fish early and later in the year.

The crappie population continues its rebound.  The lake had an excellent white crappie population throughout the 80’s but nearly disappeared in the 90’s.  In an attempt to recover the crappie I began using a six acre nursery pond just south of town to raise crappie in.  Several adult male and female crappies are stocked in the Spring.  They spawn and the young grow, predator free for two years at which time I drain the pond and remove the young crappie to the lake.  I’ve done that three times now for Lake Springfield.  In the Fall of 2004 we stocked 42,000, 5.2” white crappie from the pond into the lake.  In the Fall of 2006 we drained the pond and took nearly 77,000, 4.2” black crappie with the distinctive black stripe running from just under their chin, across the mouth, between the eyes and up the spine, from the pond and stocked them in to the lake.  We picked up an incredible 271 of those special “blacknosed” crappie in the Fall 2007 survey.  The blacknosed are now reproducing naturally in the lake with many in the 5”-6” range collected in our surveys.  The 2008 nursery pond produced only 14,000 white crappie for stocking.  As you can see, those numbers were not as good as previous years but the fish averaged 5.6” so they were not as vulnerable to bass predation as a smaller fish would be.  The crappie appear to be coming back nicely not to the levels I would like yet but we hope to keep this up.  The nursery pond will be drained in November of 2010 and the blacknosed crappie now in it will be stocked into the lake to keep that population going. 
   
Walleye were initially stocked in 1988 and did very well in their early years.  By 1994 there was an excellent population.  That population began dropping off in the late 90’s and into the early past decade even though the stocking program remained exactly the same.  I decided to try stocking their cousin, the native sauger, in 2003.  They are more acclimated to our climate and waters in central Illinois.  There hasn’t been much success with them.  Their population would, to date, would be rated only fair.  I hear of some being caught, especially this time of the year.  They concentrate to feed on the shad in the hot-water area of the lake.  However, I haven’t collected even one in the past three years, so they can’t be doing very well.  The program may be discontinued.  I hate to burden our, already over-taxed, hatcheries for no apparent reason.
   
The channel catfish and flathead catfish populations remain near the top in the state and have so for decades.  Numerous channel catfish are caught annually ranging from 1-10 pounds.  Flatheads range from 1 pound to 50 pounds.  For the state fair display this year I managed to get a fish that weighed nearly 60 pounds, so big fish are quite common in the lake.  And there is excellent spawning and recruitment.  We see numerous small flatheads in our surveys, which bodes well for the future. 
   
In the late Winter of 2005-06, with the help of the Lake Springfield Catfish Club, we began a blue catfish stocking program.  Blue cats are a species of large catfish that are found in the Mississippi, Ohio and Illinois Rivers.  The Springfield Club held tournaments near Alton on the Mississippi and brought back in their livewells blue cats for stocking into the lake.  From January 2005- April 2005 they stocked 137 blue cats ranging in size from 3-57 pounds.  They appear to be doing well in the lake, with a 70+ pounder caught this past Fall.  To date there are no signs of reproduction and that’s what interests me.  I don’t know if they will spawn.  If so, great, if not, those already stocked will do very well and provide a fishery for a very large catfish.  The current world record for blue cats is 124 pounds, so they do get big.  It was caught in the Mississippi River near Alton, IL.  In early 2010 the Catfish Club, with the help of CWLP and the IDNR, will stock several thousand dollars worth of blue cats from hatcheries to maintain the fishery that’s been created.
   
The white bass remain very good.  The numbers may be down a little but high quality fish (>14”) are present.
   
The bluegill population is still very good with large numbers of very fat fish found in the rip-rap along the highway and railroad bridges.
   

Lake Taylorville, Christian County (1,286 acres)

The Lake Taylorville largemouth bass population remains quite strong although the Fall 2009 survey was not as good as the previous three years.  This was probably due to the late survey in the last week of October when the water temperatures had dropped and the weather conditions were poor.  Good numbers, of 88 bass per hour, were collected but only 5% were over 15” and 1% over 18”.  The numbers of larger fish were down but again, the weather probably moved the larger fish off shore making electrofishing difficult.  As with Lake Springfield, the bass are in excellent body condition due to the strong gizzard shad forage base. 
The crappies continue to be the big draw to this lake.  For years now the crappies have been excellent.  The population has both excellent total numbers and is especially good numbers of fish over 10”.  The crappie population would have to be rated the best in central Illinois but this is not a large lake so it cannot take a great deal of fishing pressure. 
The channel catfish are excellent too, both in numbers and size structure.

Beginning in the Winter of 2005-06 commercial fishermen began a bigmouth buffalo harvest program.  These buffalo are captured live and shipped live to the markets in New York.  The first year harvest yield was 60,000 pounds of live buffalo.  That number dropped significantly in 2007 but as long as the fish are free from contamination and the commercial fishermen want them, the program will continue.

Jim Edgar/Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area

Prairie Lake, Cass County (210 acres)

Prairie Lake, one of the new lakes built on the old Commonwealth Edison ground known as Site M, remains a very good largemouth bass lake.  It was excellent a few years after the initial stocking but it is hard to maintain that very high level.  The initial bass year class moved through the fishery providing excellent fishing in 2003-2006 but those old fish are gone now.  The Spring 2009 survey revealed a very good bass population.  Eighty-eight bass were collected per hour with 82% over 15” and 12% over 18”, so large bass are still prevalent in the lake.  I’m a little concerned about the apparent lack of small fish but we have seen population structure indices that look like this for years so the smaller fish must be there just not susceptible to our electrofishing.  In the Fall of 2009 the on-site nursery pond was drained and 720 smallmouth bass were stocked into the lake from it.  Those numbers are not what I had hoped for but the fish averaged 9.2” so their survival should be excellent.  In 2010 I will continued to raise the “smallies” in the nursery pond and will also supplement their numbers by stocking fingerlings from our hatchery.  I hope to build up their numbers within three years to provide and additional species for the bass anglers.  They probably won’t reproduce naturally so they will always need to be stocked.
The muskies are doing well.  The 2009 survey was the best to date so far as number of fish collected per hour of electrofishing.  The largest was only 41.5” long however.  I have reports of fish over 50” being caught but I haven’t seen anything approaching that yet.  We will continue the current stocking regime of 200- 10” fingerlings every other year to maintain that fishery.
The channel catfish are excellent, in numbers, population size structure and body conditions.  The bluegill and redear sunfish are not good at all and probably never will be for reasons to long to go into in this forum.  For large bluegill and redear sunfish go to Drake and Gridley lakes. 

The lake is open to boats with motors over 10hp but there is a lake-wide no wake zone. For those boats with 10hp motors or less, they can operate full throttle if desired.  There is a concrete ramp, parking lot, restroom, handicapped fishing pier, playground, pavilion, camping area including rental cabins, docks near the campgrounds and a 17 mile hiking trail around its perimeter.

Gridley Lake, JEPCSFWA, Cass County (25 acres)

I’m not very happy with this lake.  It started out pretty much textbook in 1997 when it was first stocked.  After a couple of years the bluegill and redear sunfish were very good-to-excellent.  The bass and channel catfish were very good as well.  Over the past several years however things have been falling off.  The largemouth bass are stunted (stopped growing due to high density), which is not good for the bass angler who wants large fish, but having such high densities creates heavy predation on the sunfish(bluegill and redear) keeping them thinned out.  By thinning out the sunfish population those not eaten by the bass have more food and space so their growth rates improve.  In a nutshell, lots of skinny little bass mean big bluegill and redear sunfish which is the management goal of this lake.  The bass are stunted as desired but we are not seeing the large bluegill and redear we should.  In the Spring 2009 survey we collected some redear up to 9.5” and a handful of bluegill 7” long.  So things aren’t as good as we would like. 

The channel catfish population is very good. 

Gridley Lake has a handicapped fishing pier, concrete ramp, rest rooms and parking lot and a walking path around the entire lake for bank access.  No gas motors, only electric trolling motors are allowed

Drake Lake, JEPCSFWA, Cass County (35 acres)

Drake Lake, the last lake built on the site, is progressing as expected.  It, like Gridley Lake, is being managed for large sunfish (redear and bluegill).  The largest redear collected in the Spring 2009 survey were nearly 10” and the largest bluegill were about 9”, so they look good.  The bass started out great but growth rates are starting to slow indicating an overpopulation.  As mentioned in the Gridley Lake narrative, stunted bass lead to high quality pan fish so with a little luck we should get there.  Drake Lake is, in my mind, the prettiest of the lakes on the site.  It is completely surrounded by mature hardwoods.  It has developed a severe underwater vegetation infestation.  I will treat that with herbicide but it will still be hard to control.  Fish this lake in the Spring for the big panfish.  There is a 10 fish per day limit on bluegill and redear.  It too has a concrete ramp, rest rooms and parking lot.  No gas motors, only electric trolling motors are allowed.

Gurney Road Pond, JEPCSFWA, Cass County (1.5 acres)

 
The Gurney Road Pond has a catchable trout program in the Spring at this site.  The first Saturday of April at 5:00 am the pond will be open to trout fishing.  An Inland Trout Stamp is required of all licensed anglers.  There are also some bluegill, largemouth bass and channel catfish in the pond and can be caught anytime.
 
The IDNR Heavy Equipment Crew renovated several of the ponds on the site during the Winters of 1999-2001.  Because the fish populations in most of those were out-of-balance or had undesirable fish species, i.e. carp bullheads they were eradicated and restocked.  Those ponds completed and fishable are: Geiss Road Pond, Gridley Road Pond, North Bike Trail Pond, Philadelphia Road Pond, Otter Pond, Bullfrog Pond, South Highway 11 Pond, Edward Lane Pond, Painter Pond and Herrmann Road Pond.  For more information on pond location contact the site office.

Chautauqua U.S. Fish and Wildlife Refuge, Mason County (1,200 acres)

Management of this site has taken a new direction.  If you have any questions about Lake Chautauqua contact me for up-to-date information.

Lake Jacksonville, Morgan county (475 acres)

I had always included Lake Jacksonville in my report since I had the lake for 20+ years but seven years ago the Division of Fisheries realigned the districts and I no longer have Morgan county.  The biologist that now manages Lakes Jacksonville, Waverly and Mauvaise Terre is Mike Jones in our Pittsfield office.  For more information on the lakes in Morgan county, please contact him at 217.285.2221.  I will say, in a nutshell, Lake Jacksonville has a excellent bass population.  It remains one of the best in the state, although changes in the amount of underwater vegetation from the preferred coontail to the invasive species, Eurasian milfoil, appear to be impacting the bass.  The city of Jacksonville has hired an aquatic applicator to treat the milfoil and they are making every effort to fight it.  Excellent total numbers and excellent numbers of bass over 4 pounds remain.  The white crappie population is coming on nicely as well.  And as with nearly all the lakes in the state, the channel catfish are excellent.

Gillespie New City Reservoir, Macoupin county (~200 acres)

This lake is not in my district but I worked with Jeff Pontnack.  It may well be THE best largemouth bass lake in the state and has been that way for years.

Coffeen Lake, Montgomery county (1,100 acres)

This is one of the best largemouth bass lakes in the state.  Excellent crappie and striped bass too.

Other smaller lakes

The following lakes are minor public lakes in my district that might be of local interest.

Virginia City Reservoir, Cass County(18 acres)

This small lake in Cass County was drained, killed out and then re-stocked with bluegill, redear sunfish and channel catfish fingerlings in the Fall of 2007.  The largemouth bass will be released into the lake in late June of 2008.  Based on the 2009 survey, the lake is progressing very well. Fishing should be good-excellent in a year or two.  Fish grow quickly in new lake situations. 

Ashland New and Old City Reservoirs, Cass County (10 and 5 acres respectively)

Largemouth bass- High density, no size

Bluegill- Good-to-excellent.  New reservoir- The largest and most I’ve seen on the lake in 22 years since the complete rehabilitation.  Up to 8.5”

Redear sunfish- Very good-to-excellent.  New reservoir-Same as the bluegill.  Up to 11”

Channel catfish- Very Good

A new sunfish regulation allowing for only 10 per day went into effect April 1, 2008 on the New Reservoir only.

IDOT Lake, Sangamon County (17 acres)

Largemouth bass-Excellent.  Surprisingly, one of the best you’ll find anywhere.

Channel catfish- Good

Bluegill- Above average

Rainbow trout- Begins the first Saturday in April and the third Saturday in October at 5:00 am. 

Washington Park Pond, Sangamon County (1 acre)

Rainbow trout- Begins the first Saturday in April and the third Saturday in October at 5:00 am.

Hybrid sunfish, channel catfish and bullheads- In association with the Springfield Park District the IDNR has been conducting an Urban Fishing Program for kids at this small pond since 1996.  From mid-June through mid-August the pond will be stocked weekly with bullheads, hybrid sunfish and channel cats.  The Kid’s Fishing Clinics are held in the morning but the general public is allowed to catch these fish at any time.  For more information contact my office or the Springfield Park District 217/ 544-1751.

Loami City Reservoir, Sangamon County (10 acres)

Largemouth bass- Average

Channel catfish- Average

Bluegill- Average

Mt. Pulaski Township Park District Lake, Logan County (21 acres)

The fish population (bass, bluegill and redear sunfish) would be considered below average. The bass are not great but they are the best I’ve seen since the IDNR took over management of the lake but the sunfish species are not very good.  We did see a few 8” redear in the Spring 2009 survey however.  The maximum depth of the lake is only 6 feet and there have been a couple of Summer kills on it, so there is really very little we can do.  We will continue to treat the nuisance aquatic vegetation and stock it with non-vulnerable size channel catfish to provide angling opportunities.  It makes a nice little fishery for the locals and kids.

Kincaid City Reservoir, Christian County (31 acres)

There is a slightly above average bluegill population and a below average bass fishery.  The IDNR stocks non-vulnerable (8”-10”) channel catfish to create a fishery for that species.  A (very) few nice crappie are caught each year too. A significant fish kill took place in May of 2009 that took its toll too so the lake is not where it should be but does provide a fishery for the local population. Overall a below average fishing lake.

Lake Williamsville, Sangamon County (17 acres)

Largemouth bass- High density, no size

Bluegill- Good- very good

Channel catfish- very good  

Taylorville Park District pond, Manner’s Park, Christian County (2 acres)

This pond provides a little fishing for the local area, especially for kids.  There are bass, bluegill and channel catfish.  In addition there are Spring and Fall rainbow trout seasons.  Trout fishing begins at 5a on the first Saturday in April and the third Saturday of October. Harvesting trout two weeks prior to those dates is illegal.  Licensed anglers must have an Inland Trout Fishing Stamp.  There is a five trout per day limit.

The amount is down from the $475 million Congress appropriated for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative last year at Obama’s request. Administration officials said the drop-off for the 2011 fiscal year is reasonable, with federal agencies under pressure to cut costs.

It “reflects the difficult economic times while recognizing the president’s continued commitment to restoring and protecting this vital environmental and economic treasure,” the Environmental Protection Agency said in a statement.

EPA chief Lisa Jackson described the $300 million request as “robust” in a call with reporters, noting that much of the money from last year’s appropriation had yet to be spent.

The deadline recently passed to ap ply for $120 million in restoration project grants under the 2010 budget. EPA has received more than 1,000 requests from states, Indian tribes, cities, universities and advocacy groups and will award the money in May, a spokeswoman said.

The restoration initiative is based on a wide-ranging Great Lakes cleanup wish list crafted by government officials, scientists and advocates from across the region in 2005.

It calls for eventually spending more than $20 billion for measures such as slamming the door on exotic species, removing sediments laced with toxins, improving wildlife habitat and reducing runoff of pollutants that cause algae blooms and oxygen-deprived “dead zones.”

Environmental activists complained that Obama was not keeping pace with his campaign pledge to pump $5 billion into the restoration during his term, but acknowledged he was seeking more for the lakes than any of his predecessors.

The $300 million was “not the amount of funding we ha d hoped for” but represents a step forward, said Jeff Skelding, campaign director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition.

“The level of funding that the president committed indicates that he understands the plight of the Great Lakes and the urgency to do something about it,” Skelding said.

The Great Lakes Commission, an agency representing the region’s eight states, will ask Congress to duplicate last year’s $475 million appropriation but realizes it may be a tough sell, said Tim Eder, executive director.

“We’re certainly better off than we were, but we have to recognize that the need is still much greater,” he said.

Obama’s request doesn’t include additional money the region will get under a separate loan program for upgrading sewage treatment infrastructure. That’s a top priority under the restoration initiative, which identified overflows from aging wastewater systems in large cities such as Detroit and Cleveland as a leading pollution sou rce.

EPA said money in this year’s budget was being diverted to another urgent Great Lakes need: the fight against the Asian carp that are threatening to invade Lake Michigan from waterways near Chicago. Scientists say the plankton-gobbling fish could disrupt the aquatic food chain and starve out popular sport varieties such as salmon and walleye.

• Chipmunks are out on warm days.
• Red-winged blackbirds, mallards, wood ducks and robins start to return.
• Skunks begin to mate.
• First squirrels are born.
• Spring wildfire season begins.
• Foresters and biologists may be setting prescribed fires to prairies and woodlands.
• Restoration of prairies and woodlands require “a burn.”
• Raccoons, groundhogs breeding through March.
• Eastern moles active in deep tunnels underground.
• White-tailed deer feed in groups. If snow is deep, they “yard-up” in bottomlands.
• Mink begins breeding.

The annual Lake Camelot ice fishing tournament saw a smaller crowd than usual (272 adults, 21 youngsters) but more fish than last year.

Several anglers weighing fish said this was their best year on the frozen waters of Lake Camelot and Lake Lancelot, which offered between 6-8 inches of good ice.

Crappie bit well on the cold, sunny day. So did bass. And while bluegill were not as abundant as usual, the winning weight of 1.93 pounds by Ty Heberer of Green Valley was certainly respectable.

“We were fishing about 12 feet deep right off the bottom and caught most of them by 9 a.m.,” Heberer said. “And I’ll tell you our secret if you don’t tell anybody. We keep our waxworms in our mouths to keep them warm.”

Not really. But fun and games is part of ice fishing—even in such a serious event as the first leg of the Triple Crown.

With that in mind, here are those skillful anglers still alive to compete for the coveted title as Triple Crown winner.

Bluegill (best 3)
1.93—Ty Heberer
1.89—Nate Eckhold
1.74—Mark Miller

Crappie
1.01—Adam Fess
.99—Jimmy Golden
.97—Aaron McClanahan

Catfish
2.42—Landon Dunbar

Youth
1.25—Savanna Cooling (pictured above)
1.09—Andrew Kubolt
1.04—Ben Meinders (pictured below)

Bass
2.84—Jim Hayden, Peoria
2.39—Ralph Carmichael, Peoria Heights
2.36—John Hughes, Washington (pictured below)

The last category was the most exciting, as Hayden’s fish was at first improperly recorded. During the prize presentation, Carmichael was at first announced as the winner before Hayden produced his fish for a second weighing and order was restored.

“I’ve been coming here for years. I’ve got drunk and just about beat up and now they are taking my money back,” a laughing Carmichael said. “Oh well.”

Hayden was so unfazed by the whole turn of events that he donated half his winnings back to the Lake Camelot Sportsman’s club.

“That bass was the first fish that came out of our hole this morning,” he said. “He spit the lure out and was headed back to the hole and my buddy (Rich Bowles of Peoria) raked him back out.”

Next up for Peoria-area ice anglers is Saturday’s event at Wildlife Prairie State Park. Here are details.

Wildlife Prairie Park tournament

Action continues Saturday at Wildlife Prairie State Park, beginning at 8 a.m. at the 10-acre lake located across Taylor Road from the entrance to the park.

This will be the first opportunity for ice fishing at the Park since the fishing lakes were open to the public. This particular lake, which runs behind the Parkside Pavilion, is well-stocked with Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Black Crappie, Bluegill and Redear Sunfish and is rarely open for public fishing.

Scott Carlson, tournament coordinator remarked “we are hopeful that this event will renew public awareness of the Park’s recreational features available to them every day.” Future tournaments are expected to follow in the spring and fall.

Registration is now $16 per person 16 and over and $5 for ages 15 and under.

Carlson said cash prizes will be awarded for:

largest fish overall;
largest bluegill;
largest crappie;
largest bass;
largest catfish;
largest other fish (if any others are weighed-in).

Prizes will also be awarded for:

largest two fish caught by youngsters age 15 and under;
youngest to catch a fish;
oldest to catch a fish;
largest fish caught by a woman;
farthest traveledto compete and catch a fish.

Concessions will also be available throughout the tournament.

For more details or additional information please call the park at (309) 676-0998 or click here.

U.S. District Judge Alan B. Johnson of Cheyenne heard arguments Friday in a lawsuit the state of Wyoming filed against U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The state is challenging the agency’s decision last year to remove wolves in Idaho and Montana from the endangered species list while leaving them protected in Wyoming.

Jay Jerde, deputy Wyoming attorney general, told Johnson that the Fish and Wildlife Service has continually shifted and inflated the requirements the state would have to meet to take over wolf management.

“If they had any good reason for rejecting our plan, they wouldn’t have given this court so many bad reasons,” Jerde said.

A federal lawyer, however, told Johnson the Fish and Wildlife Service rejected the state’s plan b ecause it didn’t guarantee a continued minimum wolf population.

Wyoming officials, together with many outfitters and agricultural producers, are anxious to end federal wolf protections so the state can start killing more of them to reduce their take of elk, moose and livestock.

Speaking after the court hearing, outfitter B.J. Hill of Jackson said wolf depredation on elk is forcing the state to weigh limited draw licenses in certain popular hunting areas bordering Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park.

Hill said he has been outfitting for 20 years in the area and said he’s seeing the ratio of elk calves to cow elk dropping quickly and the number of trophy bulls dwindling.

“The only way we can approach it is to get delisted and start harvesting these large carnivores,” Hill said. “It’s got to happen soon; we’re running out of time.”

Wyoming proposes to treat wolves as a protected game species in the northwest corner of the state, around Yellow stone. The state wants to classify them as predators that could be shot on sight elsewhere in the state.

Jerde told Johnson that Wyoming is committed to maintaining at least 15 breeding pairs and 150 total wolves in the state - the minimum number the Fish and Wildlife Service has said each of the three states needs to maintain.

Biologists this week said preliminary results show the population of wolves in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming now stands at about 1,650. They say Wyoming has about 319, with at least 27 breeding pairs - up from 22 breeding pairs in 2008.

Michael Eitel, lawyer with the U.S. Department of Justice, told Johnson that federal law required giving deference to the Fish and Wildlife Service on scientific questions of how to manage the wolves.

Wyoming’s plan would rely on Yellowstone National Park to maintain eight breeding pairs of wolves and reduce the population to seven breeding pairs in the state outside the park, Eitel said.

The re are now at least 21 breeding pairs outside the park and six in Yellowstone, according to Fish and Wildlife.

Eitel told Johnson, “that’s a discretionary issue,” when the judge asked him how many wolves Wyoming should have to keep from dropping below the 15 breeding pairs, 150 wolf requirement.

“Wolves are unlikely to disburse in Wyoming under Wyoming’s regulatory scheme,” Eitel said. He added that protecting the wolves only in the northwest corner of the state was likely to keep them from traveling and breeding with the Montana and Idaho populations.

The Department of Natural Resources has seen a resurgence of sturgeon weighing 150 pounds or more. And DNR crews say they frequently deal with live sturgeon that weigh over 200 pounds.

DNR spokesman Ron Bruch says it all adds up to one thing: It’s only a matter of time before records start to fall.

The largest harvested sturgeon was caught six years ago. It weighed 188 pounds.

Last year, a woman set a record for the largest fish ever harvested by a woman spearer. It weighed 169 pounds and was nearly 7 feet long.

The spearing season runs from Feb. 13 through Feb. 28, or until preset harvest caps are reached.

The Game, Fish and Parks Department says hunters have taken 15 female lions and nine males so far this season. The latest was a male shot Saturday southwest of Mystic.

The season began Jan. 1 and runs through March but will end early when 25 female lions or a combination of 40 male and female lions are killed.

During that special snow goose season, electronic calls and unplugged shotguns are allowed, there is no bag limit and hours are one-half hour before sunrise to one-half after sunset.

Last year Illinois hunters shot about 85,635 snow geese during the special season — 69 percent in February.

Click here to read the state’s full report on the conservation snow goose season.

As a taxpayer? Not so much. Seems like all we do in government anymore is spend money.

But lofty price tags are what you get when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers marches into town. And since the state of Illinois shows no sign of addressing the needs of its aging, neglected waterfowl sites, the proposed $11.7 million Rice Lake rehabilitation is the best available option.

For that price tag (an amazing $1.2 million of which has already been spent on studies), Rice Lake gets a new pump, new transmission ditches, new levees and more than 400 acres of tree and prairie plantings.

Work could start in August and would likely stretch over four years according to Marv Hubbell, a regional manager for the Corps who discussed the project at an open house last week in Banner. His comment about project length drew a catcall from Danny David of Mapleton, part of a mostly camo-clad crowd of more than 70.

“I hope I’m still alive,” said David, 83.

That’s a legitimate worry for many associated with this project, since discussion started in 1987. That the plan came to fruition suddenly is cause for concern in the eyes of some observers — as are worries about losing trees, the impact on eagles and osprey and the state’s long-term ability to maintain the 6,800-acre site.

To me the tree argument holds no water. To repair and build levees, the Corps expects to cut down 4.8 acres of silver maples, cottonwoods and green ash trees. In exchange, the project calls for planting 352 acre of mast-producing trees on Duck Island, along with 57 acres of prairie over a Native American burial site.

We’ve got plenty of junky silver maples and cottonwoods along the Illinois River and precious few hardwoods, which once dominated the area and provide food for all sorts of critters.

And don’t get me started on those who squawk about eagle habitat. The river is lined with eagle habitat. More to the point, while eagles and ospreys do nest on or
near Rice Lake, no active nest sites will be impacted.

As to the state’s ability to maintain Rice Lake, who knows? The Department of Natural Resources already has a long list of repairs they can’t handle at state waterfowl sites.

In many cases, those needs hamper a site’s ability to fulfill its mission. That’s certainly true at Rice Lake, where summer floods make managing for waterfowl very difficult.

An inability to keep out even small rises in the Illinois River means moist soil plants seldom gain a foothold. In years the plants do survive, waterfowl and shorebirds flock to Rice Lake in impressive numbers.

The Corps’ plan would increase the odds of that happening by helping managers get water on and off Rice Lake, Big Lake and Goose Lake within two weeks. Fish would also be able to escape into the Illinois River during draw downs, which is not the case right now.

New and improved levees would also hold out water up to 14 feet at Havana, halting about half of the floods that now plague Rice Lake. While some would like to see larger levees and even more protection, the cost and environmental damage required would be too great.

“Is this a perfect plan? No. But from an environmental standpoint it’s a lot better than what we’ve got,” said Bill Douglass, site manager at Rice Lake. “This will help us get the water off in a timely fashion and put the water back on in a timely fashion. That’s the key to management for waterfowl and shorebirds.

“This is the opportunity we have to make a significant difference for a major backwater of the Illinois River. There are very few left and they’re not working as is.”

Even as the battle rages to keep invasive Asian carp out of Lake Michigan, the prolific fish already could be causing problems far beyond the Illinois River.

This winter, bald eagles have been seen in lower numbers than usual, leading some to wonder out loud whether or not the carp are hurting the eagles’ food supply.

At the Starved Rock Lock and Dam, throngs of visitors showed up as usual for Bald Eagle Watch Weekend, but only a handful of eagles were around.

Part of that could have been due to the weather. The river was free of ice and the eagles could go wherever they liked.

But something else was missing.

No line at the buffet

Starved Rock is a hardcore birder’s paradise. At the dam, gulls by the hundreds pick up fish that come through the dam. Bird watchers scan the airborne crowd of gulls looking for the rare needle in a moving haystack. Iceland, glaucous, lesser black-backed,
Thayer’s gulls and more can be spotted by the patient and tenacious.

This year, the gulls were all but absent. Something must have been amiss for both the eagles and gulls to have a reason to give up on the dam that serves up their food chopped or at least stunned.

According to Greg Sass, director of the Illinois River Biological Station in Havana, populations of gizzard shad, the plentiful forage fish that is food to eagles, gulls and largemouth bass, have crashed.

However, gizzard shad are a “boom and bust” fish and their numbers rise and fall cyclically with spawning conditions and other factors.

“Gizzard shad are way down for this year,” he says.

There are a lot of possible reasons why.

Sass says there are more “piscivores” – fish-eating birds and fish.

“There were more largemouth bass and more white bass this year than we’ve seen in a while,” he says. “So some of those predators could have knocked the population back.

“We caught more largemouth bass this year than we have in the past 15 years – in defiance of 15-year trend.”

Strong spring floods made for good spawning conditions for bass.

Asian carp could play a role, too.

Sass and his colleagues at the field station have authored a paper documenting that gizzard shad body condition has declined since Asian carp came on the scene in about 2000. In short, the shad are skinnier.

“That kind of foreshadows a little bit of competition,” he says.

Still, the Illinois River is a tremendously productive environment, with lots of plankton to go around – for now.

“As a group, some of the things we are focusing on now are zooplankton,” he says. “We are finding that the larger zooplankton have disappeared leaving smaller bodied plankton that only the Asian carp can process.”

The Asian carp have gill rakers that filter the food out of the water column. They have the ability to take very small, microscopic animals like rotifers, whereas gizzard shad and bigmouth buffalo can’t filter out organisms that small.

“Are the Asian carp ecosystem engineers?” he asks. “Beavers are the classic example. A beaver will dam a stream to create a pond to benefit itself.

“By the way the carp feed, there is pretty good evidence that there are some big changes going on.”

Out of balance

The natural ebb and flow of nature, like the ups and downs of shad populations, potentially can be pushed out of balance if factors like increased competition for food, poor spawning conditions, additional predation and others are piled on.

The difficulty for scientists is that it can be almost impossible to say for sure what is causing the problem at a given moment.

“It’s too early to tell if this is something to be concerned about,” Sass says. “They are a real boom or bust kind of fish, and we don’t know what is going to happen this year.

“Conditions could be just right and numbers could just explode.”

John Chick, director of the Great Rivers Field Station near Brighton has been studying Asian carp for a decade. He says he was just about ready to publish a paper noting a 15-year trend in a decline in gizzard shad populations when numbers shot back up unexpectedly.

“Zoo and phytoplankton are extremely abundant,” he says. “Asian carp populations would seem to have to increase even more - or it may take even more time (for changes to become noticeable).
“Maybe we’re just starting to see the first effects,” Chick says. “It may take several years or decades before you will see consequences.”

“That is the blessing and the curse of long-term data,” Sass says. “We start to see some trends and then something surprises us.

No easy answers

With up at least 50 species of fish in the Illinois River all interacting with one another and other organisms - both in and out of the water – it can be frustrating for scientists to point to a single cause for any ecosystem problem.

“That’s what get people very frustrated with ecology,” says Chick. “You start to think about how many variables interact in a system, and before you even think about how many fish species are at Starved Rock – it all gets very complex.”

Chick says scientists used to draw very simple food chains, but nature doesn’t go in a straight line. It’s not a chain, but a food web with lots of connecting points.

“Sometimes we forget that there are lots of other factors that affect population dynamics,” he says. “Yes, the availability of prey is an important factor in any ecosystem. But temperature, available oxygen, physical and chemical factors and disease also are variables.

“I think we downplay the role of disease,” he says.

Unintended consequences

As for those who theorize the carp may be hurting the shad and in turn depriving the eagles, Chick says the idea has merit, but is difficult to prove.

“It’s awful hard to point to it right now, but they may be right,” he says. “That’s the frustrating thing.
“If we’re rally seeing a decline in gizzard shad and then bald eagles, where are the bald eagles going from here?

“We might be affecting ecosystems up north,” he says. “They might see a reduction in eagle numbers up there.”

The take home message is tinkering with ecosystems at home could cause unintended consequences elsewhere.

“Who would have ever predicted that a silver carp coming into the Illinois River might affect eagles in Canada?

“That shows how complex this world is.”

“I’m not even kidding. I think about sheds every single day,” she says.

“I know I’m not normal.”

To gauge the intensity of her passion for finding the polished bones that fall off the noggins of male deer each year, consider that she loves just about anything outdoors.

She thinks nothing of jumping into her pickup truck and driving alone to Illinois for a deer hunt.

The 32-year-old Denver woman traps. She ice fishes. She does some of her own taxidermy. She hunts deer with a rifle, flintlock and bow and arrow. She hunts turkeys.
She hunts waterfowl from local blinds to the Atlantic Ocean. She’s shot bears in British Columbia, wild hogs in Texas and snowshoe hares in Maine.

She tries to hook other women on the outdoors as an instructor in “Women in the Outdoors” workshops.

But none of it con sumed her as the winter day in 2006 when she was checking her trap line on a Lebanon County farm. Walking across a cut corn field, she looked down and there it was, tines up: a small forked antler, one side of what was probably a four-point buck.

“I thought, ‘That thing is precious,’” she remembers.

Up to that point, she’d always heard that you almost never find downed antlers and that they are gobbled up by rodents shortly after they hit the ground.

But the following week, when she found a spike, again without really looking, she was smitten.

The next year, she hit on the idea of building her own antler trap. From a farm supplies store she bought a feeding trough. She turned it upside-down and partially raised it with stakes.

Underneath she spread corn and placed chicken wire all around so that the deer would crane their necks underneath and the wire would pull their antlers off when they disengaged.

It was a crazy idea and she was placin g out 50 to 100 pounds of corn a day. But she did manage to snare two sets of antlers.

She knew she needed to start scouring the landscape. But she also knew you just don’t go out walking willy-nilly and blunder onto racks. You need to know where bucks are most likely to be when the antlers fell off, anywhere from November until May, but mostly in February and March.

Gettle began researching. She learned that antlers are the fastest-growing tissue in the animal world and that deer discard their antlers in winter, when they no longer are needed to attract does and would only drain body energy in the lean months ahead.

She learned that such factors as the buck’s health and harsh weather determine when antlers fall off. Each side can drop almost simultaneously, but usually they fall off not at the same time but within three days of each other.

She learned that bucks most often shed their antlers not in the deep woods but in open areas.

Most of this she picked up from a book, “Shed Hunting: A Guide to Finding White-tailed Deer Antlers,” by Joe Shead.

So immersed was Gettle by now that she tracked down the Wisconsin-native Shead and journeyed to Minnesota where he acted as a mentor on a several-day shed hunt.

In 2009, Gettle found a remarkable 23 antlers around here.

Now a seasoned veteran, she spends late fall and early winter watching deer on game lands and private farms in Lancaster and Lebanon counties to see where they appear and go.

She’s careful not to spook deer from staging areas, places they gather before entering woods or fields.

When she begins her searches in late January or early February - usually alone - she starts in neutral areas where deer are not likely to be during daytime. Places like fields, fence rows and fingers of woods that jut out into fields.

In early March, she cautiously begins searches slightly into the woods, looking behind fence lines and along creeks , but still avoiding bedding and staging areas.

Not until mid-March, when the bucks are likely to have shed their racks, does she venture into staging areas.

She moves slowly and her eyes are trained to look for the tips of antlers, not the entire rack, because much of the bone may be buried in grasses, leaves or crops.

Her hotspots for finding sheds include islands and lone trees in the middle of fields, standing water in fields, the lines where different crops intersect, south-facing areas and near buck rubs.

She’ll continue the search into April, when the greening landscape swallows antlers.

“The only thing I don’t like about shed hunting is coming home with 20 ticks at the end of the day,” she says.

She’s driven by the thought that here is a buck that eluded hunters the whole hunting season and now she is the only one to find him, or least his antlers.

“If someone would have told me when I found my first antler that shed hunting would become more important to me than all other hunting combined, I would have laughed at them,” says the freckle-faced Gettle, who works as a machine operator at the Pepperidge Farm plant in East Cocalico Township.

Her dedication and pursuit of knowledge to master her hobby is paying dividends. She’s already found 35 antlers, only two of which are matched sets.

Among the feathers in her cap are six sheds found in one evening. One of her most exciting finds was a strange-shaped spike, then, the next year finding the same
side from the same buck, its antler still retaining the crescent-moon curl but now with three points.

Her largest rack, the right half of what was a monster eight-pointer, she found within sight of a road in a corn field on game lands near Middle Creek. It was in the middle of a field and she first dismissed it as the rim of a bicycle wheel. When she got closer and realized what it was, “I couldn’t breathe.”

The allure of locating the other half, or “soul mate” as Gettle calls it, gave her sleepless nights.

“It would drive me crazy enough to get out of bed and drive over to the spot just to walk around looking for the other side,” she confides.

She spent two weeks looking for the other half, walking every single corn row. “It still wonders me where it is,” she says.

One of the beauties of shed antler hunting is Gettle can go anytime she feels like it and stay as little or long as she wants. There are no limits on collecting antlers and she’s outdoors at a time of year when she usually has the landscape to herself.

She learns what bucks are likely to be around the following hunting season, where they travel and what kinds of habitat and foods they seek out.

Shed antler hunting is getting bigger all the time. There now is an organization, the North American Shed Hunters Club (http://shedantlers.org ) that keeps track of shed records. Massive whitetail sheds fetch a pretty pen ny and you can even buy a shed-hunting dog.

Chances are, though, that Gettle’s shed pile will continue to grow, perhaps to arch-like proportions like the ones you see at the entrances to Western ranches.

“Shed hunting does something to a hunter’s soul that nothing else can,” she says. “It’s just that special.”

Biologists said the region’s total wolf population has remained stable and will be similar to 2008’s minimum of 1,650 wolves in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming.

The number of breeding packs increased slightly, from 95 to 111. That’s despite more than 500 wolves killed last year, primarily by hunters and government wildlife agents responding to livestock attacks.

If the preliminary figures hold, it could bolster the federal government’s assertion that wolves are doing fine since losing Endangered Species Act protections last year.

The exception is Wyoming, where state law is considered hostile to the species’ survival and federal protections remain in force. Th e state has challenged the decision to keep wolves under federal protection in Wyoming, and a federal court hearing in that case is set for Friday in Cheyenne.

The latest population data was released Thursday in court documents filed by Montana wildlife officials in a separate case brought by environmentalists. They are seeking to overturn the loss of protections for wolves in Montana and Idaho.

The environmentalists suggest current population figures are not a fair indicator of the animal’s long-term survival, because the states could drive down their numbers over time with no ramifications.

The 2009 results show Montana’s wolf population dipped slightly, from 497 in 2008 to 493. In comparison, Wyoming’s population grew from 302 to at least 319.

A precise estimate for Idaho was not made available, but the state said it expects a figure “comparable” to 2008’s population of 846 wolves. Idaho reported its number of breeding packs of wolves increased fro m 39 in 2008 to 50 last year.

“This puts a few things to rest, first and foremost that hunting was going to hurt the population,” said Montana’s lead gray wolf biologist, Carolyn Sime.

Sime added that by maintaining the status quo for wolves in Montana, wildlife officials demonstrated hunting is an effective way to manage the population and keep it in check.

Ranchers across the Northern Rockies have complained in recent years that the wolf population had grown out of control, causing widespread harm to their cattle and sheep herds.

Some have recommended bringing back poisoning as a way to drastically reduce the population. Last used in the early 1900s, poison helped wiped out wolves across most of the Lower 48 states by the 1930s.

It wasn’t until the 1980s that a handful of wolves from Canada began to take up residence in northern Montana. Their numbers exploded following the reintroduction of 66 wolves by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service into central Idaho and Wyoming’s Yellowstone National Park.

Until 2009, the population had been on a sharp upward trend, at times increasing 30 percent in a single year. Whether it starts to dip as hunting continues remains to be seen.

Under pressured from the ranching industry, Montana wildlife officials already have floated a possible hunting quota increase for the 2010 season. Last year’s quota was 75 wolves.

Idaho’s season was recently extended to give hunters more time to fill its quota of 220.

Whether future hunts can occur hinges on U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy in Missoula, who is hearing the environmentalists’ suit. Molloy’s ruling is not expected for several months.

The Colorado Division of Wildlife says the 13-year-old female lynx trapped in Canada and released in southwest Colorado in 1999 was killed last weekend in Summit County.

A signal from the cat’s radio collar indicated she was dead. Wildlife officers didn’t find the carcass, but found evidence that the lynx was killed.

Data from the cat’s collar showed she had roamed from southwest Colorado as far north as Rocky Mountain National Park.

Lynx were wiped out in Colorado by the 1970s by trapping and development. The long-haired cats are classified as threatened under state and federal law and can’t be hunted.

That’s particularly true at Lake Camelot, which for the past 30 years has held the area’s biggest ice fishing party — I mean tournament.

Actually, it’s hard not to view ice fishing as a party. And few places have more fun on the hard water than Camelot, which on Saturday will attract several hundred revelers to the subdivision southwest of Peoria off Lancaster Road.

After a few worried days last weekend, when temperatures soared and rain and wind melted ice, conditions have improved. Edges that opened at Lake Camelot and Lake Lancelot are frozen closed again. Participants can expect to drill through 7-8 inches Saturday during the competition, which runs 7 a.m. to noon.

Sign-ups start tonight from 6-9 p.m. and then again Saturday starting at 6 a.m. at the Lake Camelot clubhouse. Cost is $7 for adults, $4 for children 12 and under. Bait will be sold and cash prizes are awarded.

Unlike most years, though, Camelot is not a standalone event thanks to two other tournaments on the winter schedule.

First is an event at Wildlife Prairie State Park on Feb. 6.

Then comes a tournament on Feb. 13 at the Big 25 Club near Victoria.

This has created an intriguing scenario. With three consecutive tournaments, we’ve got the potential for a Triple Crown of local ice fishing.

Why? Well there seems to be a Triple Crown of just about everything else from surfing to horse racing.

And this fall Disney is going to release a new movie about Secretariat, the greatest Triple Crown winner of all time. The movie has me so jacked up that I regularly watch YouTube clips of Big Red’s Belmont win in 1973. If that amazing race doesn’t get your spine tingling nothing will.

Now this is not to suggest that winning three ice fishing tournaments can approximate the impact or accomplishment of Secretariat.

But it’s cold out. We need to invent ways to have fun and to beat living room fever.

Offering a prize for anyone who wins — or even places — in all three events is an attempt to make frigid temperatures enjoyable.

To place at Camelot means a top-three finish in any of the different species categories. Placing at Prairie Park requires a top-five finish in terms of big fish. Placing at the Big 25 will be toughest of all: A top-three finish in total weight.

Pull that off and we’ll lavish praise on you as our Triple Crown winner and set you up with some nice prizes. Who knows? You might even get your own YouTube moment.

Cornell University scientists say they recently detected viral homorrhagic septicemia, or VHS, while testing fish from seven locations in Lake Superior.

VHS has been identified in 28 freshwater fish species within the Great Lakes watershed since 2005. It has caused large fish kills in lakes Ontario, Erie and Huron. It also has turned up in Lake Michigan.

Officials in Michigan and Wisconsin said Wednesday there was no evidence of a widespread outbreak in Lake Superior. They said the Cornell findings would not lead to any immediate changes in regulations of fishing or boating.

Both states already limit movement of bait fish to prevent VHS from spreading.

The flock lost 23 birds in the 2008-2009 winter season, in part because its main source of sustenance, the blue crab, all but vanished from drought-parched southern
Texas. The rains eventually came, but they were too late to produce healthy amounts of blue crabs for this winter.

“We’re looking at a pretty slender year, prey-wise, and it’s going to make the cranes work harder to get food,” said Allan Strand, field supervisor for the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service in South Texas. “I feel that we’re probably going to have a die-off. It’s conceivable that we could have a significant die-off.”

The whooping crane, the tallest bird in North America at about 5 feet, was nearly extinct in 1941 befo re making a steady comeback. There are three flocks now, but the one that travels 2,400 miles each fall from Canada to the Texas Gulf Coast is the only one that migrates without human help.

According to the most recent aerial survey, there are an estimated 263 birds in the Texas flock. The survey, conducted last week, found that one chick has already died and another was missing.

It’s normal for one crane to die in the average November-to-March winter season, and last year’s 23 deaths were the most since 1938 when the wildlife service began tracking cranes at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge near Corpus Christi.

Also in last week’s survey, Tom Stehn, the wildlife service’s whooping crane coordinator, noted some birds were already leaving the marshlands to search for food elsewhere. An extended hunt for food would burn more important energy that the cranes need to survive the lean winter months, he said.

The crabs are loaded with fat and calories, and an adult whooping crane can eat up to 80 a day. But when their crab count is down, the cranes can end up in bad shape, particularly after the draining migration from Canada, Strand said. Last year the flock’s hatch was down about one-third, and “that’s a direct correlation to the birds’ health when they get back,” he said.

The cranes face other challenges. They are losing habitat to housing developments that draw even more water out of their winter home along the Guadalupe and San Antonio rivers.

Last month, a conservation group filed paperwork to sue state regulators, alleging they allowed too much water to be taken from the rivers. That overuse increased the salinity of inland waters, hurting the birds’ water and food supplies, the group said.

The wildlife refuge has requested permission to put out calorie-rich “crane chow,” the same kind of food the birds eat in zoos. Even if they are allowed to do that, there is no guarantee of success.

The cranes generally nest in pairs or as a couple with one juvenile spread out along a 30-mile coastline. Even if the food distributors correctly target the birds, there is no guarantee they will eat the chow.

Some experts disagree with supplemental feeding, but Strand said it might be necessary.

“The cranes are not a viable population,” he said Tuesday. “They can’t support themselves. I hate to think if we don’t do it and we lose another 30 or 40 cranes this year, I don’t know how we’re going to explain it.”

Biologists say a decade or more of drought and winter-like storms that occurred last spring took a toll on mule deer fawns. The decline is cyclical, however, and game managers expect the deer herds to rebound in the next three or four years.

Still, the department says hunters will likely face heavy restrictions on mule deer harvest for the next two years. The restrictions could include limiting some hunts to whitetail or antlered mule deer only.

The Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission is expected to adopt final hunting regulations next month.

Here’s a video of ice fishing for bluegills in a northern Illinois farm pond.

Throughout the day, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in several events including, a 3-D shoot, a paper shoot and silent auctions.  Specific event times and entry costs are included below:

• 3-D Competitive Shoot - $20 entry (8 a.m. – 11 a.m.)
• Paper Shoot - $15 entry (12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.)
• Participate in both events for $30
• Families (up to 5 people) can participate in all events for just $50; each additional family member is just $10
• Silent auction with items ranging from overnight get-a-ways, electronic items, lawncare items, sporting event tickets and more

Entry in the event includes lunch, courtesy of Echo Valley Meats in Bartonville.  Numerous hunting, fishing and outdoors giveaways will be distributed throughout the event.  Additionally, raffle tickets will be sold for a chance to win a Browning Maxxus Shotgun or $750 in cash as well as one of the following prizes: weekend guided fishing trip package on the Wisconsin River, one pair of Peoria Chiefs box seat season tickets, and a 32” Panasonic flat panel television.  Ticket prices for the Browning Maxxus Shotgun are one for $10 or six tickets for $50. Tickets for the other raffle prizes are one for $5 or five for $20. Raffle tickets for both prize events may be purchased at Presley’s Outdoors prior to and during the event.  Winners of the raffle will be drawn at the close of the event. One hundred percent of the event’s proceeds will be donated to Easter Seals. 

Those interested in participating may sign-up by contacting Presley’s Outdoors at (309) 697-1193.  Walk-in participants will also be accepted the day of the event.

Be an Angel of Change and support Easter Seals by participating in the 3rd annual “Shoot to Stay on Target” archery shoot on Saturday, February 13, 2010.

The law-breakers I am talking about here are the whack ‘em and stack ‘em, make a big pile of dead animals just because I can, do it on a bet kind of poaching trash.

I am sure we all know someone who takes a deer and has someone else tag it, and that in itself is not a good thing; however, those folks are typically going to put the animal to use and feed themselves with it.

I just think that there should be some stiffer types of penalties for those people who are caught with multiple animals on multiple occasions. After all, they are taking away from our (law abiding sportsmen) hunting enjoyment. Not only do these people take animals away from us, they also ruin the chances of honest hunters gaining access to private land. You can’t blame a landowner for refusing hunters access to their land after they have been the victims of violators.

How many people would poach animals if the punishment was loss of firearm ownership and hunting license for life? I don’t think that’s too extraordinary a punishment. The animals are dead forever, why should the punishment not last forever?

Forfeiture of any vehicle used in the commission of poaching or transporting illegally obtained animals sounds fair to me. How about several hundred hours of community service spent improving wildlife habitat or cleaning out the ditch lines? I think all of these are fair and just punishments.

Sportsmen need to stand up and make themselves heard in this matter. Poachers steal from all of us and they give hunters a bad name. Many non-hunters equate poachers with hunters in general. This does no good when issues of hunting are put to the vote. If you know a poacher or suspect that poaching is occurring in your area, contact the authorities. Ignoring the problem will not make it go away. I have heard that it is estimated that for every poacher that is caught and prosecuted, there are five who go unscathed. That number sickens me.

I have friends who have started deer management areas and they are very successful in their efforts to allow young bucks to mature. They have committees who rotate the duty of driving the roads around their management areas to dissuade would-be violators. They do this year-round and it works. I cruise the areas around my home for the same reason and I do not even hunt there!

Perhaps we should all help out and create a sort of “Neighborhood Watch” system in our rural areas. I always feel that it is better to be proactive rather than reactive in this type of matter. I also believe that part of being a good steward to our hunting right means taking a stand to protect the animals. They are after all, the real future of hunting.

I will stand shoulder to shoulder with anyone who needs help stopping the poaching violations and violators in their area. I will pledge my commitment to stomp out poachers wherever I find them and I hope you do the same. Send a message to your congressman that you support stiffer penalties for poaching crimes and organize your hunting club to lobby make it happen.

Remember, poaching affects all of us, hunters and non-hunters alike. The illegal taking of wildlife creates a void which is difficult to rebuild. Protect the resource you enjoy and stand against law breakers. Enjoy the hunting seasons as your forefathers did and remember, it’s a great outdoors.

Jim Kilchermann, a Journal-Standard contributor, is a hunter and an avid outdoorsman. He wants to extinguish poaching and wildlife violators in his lifetime.  He can be reached at jimkilchermann@yahoo.com; drop him a line and share an outdoor story.

Step out the next clear night, in late January about 9:30 p.m., face south and look about halfway up.

Bursting forth from the dark of night is the glorious stars of Orion, one of the most recognized and celebrated constellations of the entire heavens.

Orion, the mythical Hunter, can be seen anywhere on Earth. The three conspicuous “belt stars” straddle the Celestial Equator. This imagined line encircles the sky midway from the North Celestial Pole, where the North Star resides right nearby, and the South Celestial Pole, seen Down Under. In other words, if you were on the ice of the North Polar Cap, right at the North Pole, the Celestial Equator exactly follows your horizon, and the North Star gleams almost exactly straight overhead. Orion’s northern half will be seen riding around the horizon as the 24 hours of night proceeds.

Likewise, in July when night covers Antarctica, from the South Pole you would see Orion’s southern half ride the horizon, upside down from what you are used to seeing from the United States.

The three belt stars of Orion are actually part of a loose stellar association, a wide-open star cluster with a common origin, moving in space in tandem. From left to right, the stars have Arabic names: Alnitak (”Girdle”), Alnilam (”Belt of Pearls”) and Mintaka (”Belt”).

These stars are at nearly the same distance from us (from left, 800, 1,000 and 900 light years). They are blue-white giant stars, each about 20 times the mass of the sun. They shine at +2nd magnitude (+6th is the usual lower limit of visibility to unaided eyes).

Look for Mintaka’s +7th magnitude companion star, with binoculars. Long-exposure photographs reveal that Alnitak is bathed in a faint cosmic cloud, or nebula, which includes the famous “Horsehead Nebula.” The cloud of black dust, superimposed on background nebula that is lit by star shine, its equine silhouette is unmistakable. Large backyard telescopes (10-inch aperture and bigger) can reveal it under very good sky conditions, and it is one my goals to catch this horsey!

Look also for an S-shaped line of stars that starts above Mintaka and sweeps down and ends between Alnilam and Alnitak. Binoculars are needed if moonlight is an issue.

A group of stars seem to hang below Alnitak and are known as Orion’s Sword. The middle “star” appears fuzzy in binoculars; this is the Great Nebula of Orion (also known as M42), breathtaking in even a small telescope. Stars are being formed within this nebula.

Other principal stars in Orion is the brilliant blue-white Rigel at lower right of the Belt and the fiery red-orange, brilliant Betelgeuse at upper left of the Belt. They mark corners of a huge, rough rectangle, with the Belt in the middle.

While we think of Orion as a mythical Hunter, thanks to the Greeks, the Belt Stars are referred to as the Saucepan (with the Sword stars) in Australia and New Zealand; as the Three Marys in Latin America; and as the Three Kings or Three Sisters in South Africa. The Bible refers to Orion in Job 9:9, Job 38:31 and Amos 5:8.

First-quarter moon is on Jan. 23; full moon is on the 30th.

Contact the writer at pbecker@wayneindependent.com.

Keep looking up!